A Memorable Life
by Charmeleon
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. This is an AU story. Look inside chapter 1 for better description.
1. The Discovery

I first got the idea for this fic about several months ago. I was watching Pokemon 2000 and it really got me to thinking what if the meeting between Ash and Lugia happened earlier than it did. So I began writing this story. A word of caution to all readers: this story does not pertain much if at all to the Pokemon cartoons and movies. It is an AU what if story. In this story, Ash is 9-years old to start. He was looking forward to a nice week of fun with his mom, Professor Oak and Gary when a traumatic event forever changes his perspective of things. How does this event change his perspective of things? You'll find that out in this first chapter.  
( ) after Pokemon talk is the translation  
_Italic words _is psychic speech  
(' is Pokemon thoughts  
' is human thoughts

Chapter 1: The Discovery

It was a lovely afternoon in Pallet Town. The sun was shining and the nearby Pidgey were chirping happily. But not all was calm at this time. Delia Ketchum was going through her house, making sure that she had everything packed. She, her nine-year old son Ash, Professor Oak and eleven-year old Gary were going on a weeklong cruise. Delia and Professor Oak had been planning this cruise for about several years. Now they, Ash and Gary would finally be taking it. They would first fly to Vermilion City and then take a cruise ship to Olivine City and around the Johto region from there.

"Well it looks like we're all set honey," Delia said ten minutes later.

"Yeah," Ash said. He was excited about the upcoming trip. He had always wanted to sail across the open sea and this would be his big opportunity.

Just then, they heard someone knocking at the door. Delia opened it to see Professor Oak and Gary standing there.

"Good afternoon Samuel," Delia said.

"Hi Delia. Are you ready to go?" Professor Oak said.

"We sure are. Ash, would you be a dear and turn off all the lights?" Delia said.

"Sure mom," Ash said before going through the house, turning all the lights off. When he finished, he came out and stood next to his mother.

"Take good care of the house Mimey," Delia told her Mr. Mime.

"Mr. Mime (Sure thing)," Mimey said.

Ash gave Mimey a hug. "See you in a week Mimey," he said.

"Mime (Okay)," Mimey said, returning the hug.

Then Ash, Delia, Gary and Professor Oak took Delia's van to the airport. Their flight was scheduled to leave at 2pm. They arrived at the airport half an hour early. After getting their tickets, they went to baggage claim to have their luggage tagged and checked. Then they went back into the waiting room until their flight was ready to board. Twenty minutes later, the announcement that the plane was ready to board came over the loudspeaker.

They got in line and waited to board. After giving the ticket person their tickets, they boarded the plane and sat in their assigned seats. Ten minutes later, everyone was aboard the plane. Another ten minutes later, the plane taxied to takeoff position on the runway. Five minutes later, the pilots got the all clear to take off. The pilots applied the throttle, and the plan was soon in the air.

"Well this is it honey. A week of nothing to worry about," Delia said.

"Yep," Ash said.

"I can't wait until we're on the cruise ship," Gary said. He had been at home with his grandfather after finishing 12th in the Indigo League. He decided to help his grandfather out for a while before heading to compete in the Johto League. He wouldn't miss this cruise for the world.

The flight was a smooth one. The plane arrived in Vermilion an hour later. Once Ash, Delia, Professor Oak and Gary got their belongings, they made their way to the cruise shipk. They waited in line because the ship wasn't ready to board yet. The ship wasn't supposed to leave for another hour. That was because there was another planeload of cruise-seeking passengers scheduled to arrive in forty minutes.

The second plane arrived right on time. Soon, the passengers on board the plane were in line to board the cruise ship. Ten minutes later, the okay to board was given. As each person submitted his/her boarding pass, he/she was assigned a specific room. Five minutes later, Ash, Delia, Professor Oak and Gary were in their rooms. Ash and Delia were in one room, and Professor Oak and Gary were right next door. An additional five minutes later, they had their things settled for the four-hour trip to Olivine.

The ship gently sailed away from the docks and was soon in the open sea. Ash and Delia made their way to the stairs and were soon above deck. Professor Oak and Gary soon joined them. Ash looked at the vast sea ahead of him. He could barely believe that here he was, finally sailing across the open sea. Just then, something came out of the water.

"Waaaaah!" Ash screamed, falling back in shock.

Delia giggled. "It's okay honey. That's a Lapras. Lapras are friendly Pokemon," she said.

"And it's using Surf right now," Professor Oak said.

"Surf?" Ash asked, still in shock.

"Yeah. Some water Pokemon create a large wave to ride on. That's Surf," Gary said.

Ash had gotten over his shock and stood back up again. He looked up right into the Lapras' eyes. Then the Lapras leaned her neck over and started nuzzling Ash. Ash then petted her neck.

"It looks like you've made a friend. Lapras already likes you," Professor Oak said.

"Yeah," Ash said, laughing when Lapras licked his face.

Then Lapras ducked beneath the waves again, still swimming parallel to the boat though. About three hours later, the ship had reached the Johto region. Olivine City was now only an hour away. But it wouldn't be worry free for much longer. A band of pirates spotted the cruise ship. Their smaller ship soon overtook the large ship.

"All right mateys, hand over your money!" the pirate captain said upon boarding the ship.

Soon, the other pirates had boarded as well. The passengers really didn't have much of a choice but to do as the captain said because the other pirates had their guns aimed at the passengers. When the pirates were satisfied, they got aboard their boat again.

"And to make sure that you don't try anything against us, we'll be taking a hostage," the pirate captain said upon taking Ash.

"Ash!" Delia cried.

"If you take even one step towards me, your little boy gets it," the pirate captain said. Then he took his leave aboard the ship.

Then the pirate ship left. Delia was on the verge of fainting at this point.

"My boy. My poor little boy," Delia said.

"We can contact the authorities once we reach Olivine," Professor Oak said.

An hour later, the cruise ship arrived in Olivine. Deila, Professor Oak and Gary were the first ones off the ship. They saw an Officer Jenny nearby and went over to her.

"Officer Jenny, please help us," Delia said.

"What's the problem?" Officer Jenny asked.

"A band of pirates kidnapped my son," Delia responded.

"Where did it happen?" Officer Jenny asked.

"It happened when we were on the cruise ship about an hour ago," Professor Oak responded.

"Well there's little chance of finding the pirates now. But I'll have a search and rescue team sent out," Officer Jenny said before heading towards the station.

"Well maybe we should get settled in the Pokemon Center," Gary suggested.

"That's a good idea Gary," Professor Oak said.

Meanwhile, the pirates were gloating about how easy the raid turned out to be.

"Did you see the terrified expressions on their faces. That has got to be the easiest raid we have ever pulled off," the captain said snickering.

Meanwhile, Ash was in the cargo bay. He was bound by his wrists and ankles and had a gag over his mouth. 'Why did this have to happen to me?' he thought, tears running down his face.

But the pirates wouldn't be gloating too much longer. A hard jolt sent them crashing into a wall.

"What is going on?" the captain asked before going above deck. "What are you doing up here?" he asked.

"We're caught in a whirlpool captain," one of the two pirates above deck responded.

The captain looked ahead and saw that the ship was indeed trapped in a large whirlpool. "Try to steer clear of it," he said.

"It's no use captain. The current is too strong," the second pirate said.

"Man the lifeboats then. We're abandoning ship," the captain said before going back below. "Get above deck and prepare to abandon ship. We're heading into a whirlpool," he said.

The others raced above deck in a panicked state. They soon began boarding the lifeboats. Soon, all the lifeboats were in the water, but were soon caught in the whirlpool's current as well. The pirates tried desperately to row out the whirlpool but the current was much too strong for them. They were soon sucked down into the center.

Soon, the pirate ship began to break up. Still inside the cargo hold, Ash closed his eyes, accepting the fact that he was about to die. Minutes later, the ship completely broke apart, sending Ash spiraling down the whirlpool. The strong current knocked him unconscious. His chances of surviving now were very slim to none.

But fate had something else in mind for our young friend. The Lapras that had befriended Ash used Whirlpool on the whirlpool. After the whirlpool had completely disappeared, she swam towards Ash and tried to undo his bonds. Lapras had seen everything that transpired. She then followed the pirate ship, hoping to save her young friend. Try as she might, she couldn't undo the ropes around Ash's wrists and ankles. Then she heard a cry. She turned around and gasped in awe upon seeing the approaching bird-like Pokemon.

_"What happened here?" _The Pokemon asked.

Lapras then explained what had happened.

_"Give me some room," _the Pokemon said.

Lapras backed away. Then the Pokemon used Psychic to unravel Ash's bonds. Then Ash was psychically placed onto the Pokemon's back before the Pokemon used Recover on Lapras to help restore her energy. Then the Pokemon swam to an island that was inhabited only by Pokemon. Two hours later, it arrived on the island and used Psychic to gently set Ash on the sand. Lapras had followed.

_"You really like this boy don't you?" _the Pokemon asked.

Lapras nodded. "Lapras la lapras lap (Shouldn't we take him back to his family)?" she asked.

_"They probably think he's dead. I saw a search and rescue team back there. They lost hop upon seeing the floating remnants of the pirate ship, but no bodies and returned to where they were sent from," _the Pokemon responded.

"Lapras lap (What happens now)?" Lapras asked. 

"I'll be his guardian," the Pokemon responded.

"Lapras la (I'll help out too)," Lapras said. 

Soon, Ash began to regain consciousness. He saw something looking down at him but couldn't make it out because his vision was kind of blurry. Several moments later, he could see clearly again. "Waaaaah!" he screamed upon seeing the large Pokemon, tumbling backwards in the process. He then had the feeling of floating, which was the Pokemon using Psychic on him. He soon found himself on the large Pokemon's back.

_"Don't be afraid. I won't harm you," _the Pokemon said.

Ash was shocked upon hearing the deep voice in his mind. But he felt that he could trust this Pokemon. "Who are you?" he asked.

_"I am Lugia," _the Pokemon responded.

"Lapras lap (What's your name)?" Lapras asked.

Ash looked back and saw the Lapras he befriended about five feet from shore.

"Lapras lap (What's your name)?" Lapras asked again.

"Huh?" Ash asked.

_"She just asked you for your name?" _Lugia responded.

Ash just had a dumb expression on his face. He didn't know what his name was. It appears as though the enormous pressure of the whirlpool messed with his head.

_"You don't know your own name?"_ Lugia asked in shock.

"No I don't. I know I should, but I don't," Ash responded.

('Something's wrong here') Lugia thought. He attempted to look into Ash's mind. What he discovered was very disturbing. ('His mind is completely blank. Something must have happened when he was in the whirlpool')

"Lapras lap lapras (Why can't you remember your own name)?" Lapras asked.

"I don't know," Ash responded after Lugia translated for him.

_"Something happened to him when he was sucked into the whirlpool. His mind is empty," _Lugia said.

"What whirlpool?" Ash asked in confusion.

"Lapras lap. Lap lapras lap lapras (You're right Lugia. That whirlpool did have a part in this)," Lapras said.

Then Ash's stomach made itself known. Lapras swam back out to sea and went below the waves. Several minutes later, she came back with a mouthful of fish. She laid them down on the shore before using her flippers to go back out to sea somewhat. Ash hopped off of Lugia's back and virtually dived into the small mound of fish because he was so hungry. He ended up gooing through all the fish.

_"Whoa! You really were hungry," _Lugia said in awe.

"And now I'm sleep," Ash said yawning.

_"Go to sleep then. I'll be right here with you," _Lugia said.

Ash nodded. He went further inland before lying down. Lugia used Psychic again to lift Ash into the air. He then lied down right where Ash was just seconds ago. Then he lowered Ash down to his back.

_"I believe that you'll be more comfortable this way," _Lugia said.

"Thanks," Ash said before falling asleep.

_"You're welcome," _Lugia said before falling asleep himself.

Lapras went deep enough out to sea and sunk beneath the waves to sleep herself. Meanwhile back in Olivine, Delia was restless. The encounter with pirates kept replaying in her mind. Hearing that Ash hasn't been found yet only fueled her restlessness more. Her mind told her to accept the fact that Ash probably is dead, but her heart told her otherwise.

'No matter what they say, I'm having a hard time believing that my son is dead. It's as if something is telling me not to give up hope. If he is still alive, I just hope that he's okay, wherever he is,' Delia thought. She wasn't the only one who doubted that Ash was dead.

Gary also had a hard time believing that Ash was dead. 'Missing doesn't mean dead. I saw the Lapras that he befriended swimming alongside the boat the entire time. Maybe it found a way to help him. I really hope that it did,' he thought. He didn't know that he was actually right.

Back on the island, an Oddish, a Sandshrew and a Pidgey had come across the human and Pokemon.

"Sandshrew (Look at that)," Sandshrew said in awe.

"Odd (I know)," Oddish said.

"Pidgey pidge (I wonder what happened)," Pidgey said.

"Oddish odd oddish odd (Let's ask in the morning)," Oddish asked.

"Shrew sand (Good idea)," Sandshrew said before heading over to where Ash and Lugia were. She curled up next to them and fell asleep.

Oddish and Pidgey also gathered around Ash and Lugia and were soon asleep as well. The next morning, Lugia was the first to awaken. He looked around him and smiled upon seeing the three Pokemon sleeping around him. Soon, the Sandshrew, Oddish and Pidgey awakened as well. A few moments afterward, Lapras surfaced. Upon hearing Lapras surface, Ash awakened to see three Pokemon around Lugia and he.

"Why are they here?" Ash asked.

"Oddish odd oddish (We wanted to know how you got here)," Oddish responded.

Lapras and Lugia took turns explaining what had happened. Oddish, Sandshrew and Pidgey were in shock afterwards. They would've never expected Ash to be the victim of a pirate raid.

"Sandshrew sand shrew (That must've been terrible)," Sandshrew said.

"Pidgey pidge pidgey (It's even worse that he doesn't remember anything)," Pidgey said.

"Oddish odd oddish (Well we can help him become familiar with everyone here)," Oddish said.

_"That would be great. Thank you," _Lugia said.

"What?" Ash said.

_"Oddish saids that she, Sandshrew and Pidgey will help you to get acquainted with all the Pokemon who live here. Of course Lapras and I will help out as well," _Lugia said.

"Great. It looks like this will be the start of a good friendship," Ash said.

"Lapras (It sure will)," Lapras said.

Well, here's the end of the first chapter. Now you know how Ash's perspective on things will be different. But now he's gained several new friends as well. These five Pokemon will play a huge role as the story progresses. Preview for Chapter 2: Life on the Island: Oddish, Sandshrew and Pidgey start showing Ash around the island. Along the way, Ash meets a very unique and very rare Charmander. Why is this Charmander so rare? Stay tuned to find out.


	2. Life on the Island

Recap: Ash, Delia, Gary and Professor Oak were looking forward to a peaceful cruise around the Johto region. Things were very tranquil to start. A wandering Lapras had befriended Ash along the way. But things didn't stay peaceful. A band of pirates raided the ship, the captain kidnapping Ash as means of an easy escape. But it was ultimately the pirates who had no escape when drowned as a result of being sucked into a giant whirlpool. If not for Lapras and Lugia, Ash would've suffered the same fate. Lugia took Ash to a Pokemon inhabited island where Ash made three more Pokemon friends.  
( ) after Pokemon talk is the translation  
_Italic words _is psychic speech  
(' is Pokemon thoughts  
' is human thoughts 

Chapter 2: Life on the Island

It was currently noon. After quite a hectic day yesterday, things were more serene for Ash now. He had been looking forward to a nice cruise in the Johto region with is mother and friends when a band of pirates ruined that opportunity for him. First the ship he was on was robbed. Then the pirate captain took him to ensure the pirates' getaway.

But things only got worse from there. The pirate ship got caught in a large whirlpool. In a stupid haste to escape, the pirates manned lifeboats. The whirlpool quickly claimed their lives. It would've claimed Ash's as well if not for the Lapras that he befriended. Lapras dissipated the whirlpool. Then, Ash got additional help in the form of the legendary Lugia. Lugia brought Ash to a Pokemon inhabited island. Wanting to be with Ash, Lapras followed. Upon being asked what his name was, Ash couldn't answer because the pressure of the whirlpool gave him a case of severe amnesia. He couldn't remember anything at all.

As of now, Oddish, Pidgey and Sandshrew were showing Ash around. The Pokemon that they had come across were confused to how a human was now on the island. But they had good reason to be confused because no human had ever set foot on this island until now. One of the confused Pokemon was a Charmander. But this Charmader was different from others.

This Charmander had orange-peach scaly skin instead of plain orange skin. But the stranger thing was that it didn't have a fiery tail. It is known that a Charmander dies if its tail flame goes out. The reson why this Charmander can survive without a fiery tail was the result of an experiment.

Flashback to two years ago

A group of scientists in Saffron City were hard at work. They were trying to come up with a solution that could help Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard everywhere if successful. Because there was no guarantee that the experiment would be successful, they had kept it secret. If the experiment proved successful, then they would let the media in on what they've been doing.

"How is the experiment coming along?" the head scientist asked.

"It's so far so good Dr. Bell. Her tail flame is almost out, but her vital signs are still very stable," a female scientist responded.

"Excellent. Just imagine all the Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard we could help if this is successful," Dr. Bell said.

The experiment that the scientists were referring to was in the drained medium-sized vat. Inside the vat was a sleeping Charmander. But this Charmander looked different from other Charmander. Her skin was orange and peach. Also, the skin was pretty scaly unlike normal Charmander skin. That was because they had actually injected her with DNA from a Dragonite.

But Charmander wasn't forced into the lab or anything. She went willingly. When a few of the scientists were returning from Celadon City one day, she had heard them talking about finding a Charmander, Charmeleon or Charizard for an experiment that could eliminate its tail flame worries if successful. Wanting to help the scientists and willing to take the risk in case the experiment fails, she volunteered for the experiment.

So far, it has been two months since the experiment first began. The process had been slow but the scientists were very patient. It would take time for the Dragonite DNA to fully mingle with Charmander's DNA. Soon, they would have the results they patiently waited for. A few days later, Charmander's tail flame had completely gone out. The moment of truth had finally arrived.

"Well this is it," Dr. Bell said before filling the vat with Awakening.

Several seconds later, Charmander began to awaken. She had first panicked upon seeing that she didn't have a tail flame before realizing that she was very much alive. She then realized that the scientists' experiment was a complete success. Then she looked up and saw the glass part of the vat lifting up. Then she looked right into Dr. Bell's eyes.

"How do you feel?" Dr. Bell asked.

_"I feel fine," _Charmander responded, shocking the scientists.

"Wow, she can talk," another male scientist said.

"I wasn't expecting that. But it looks like our experiment has been a complete success. Charmander here is just fine even though her tail flame is non-existent. This will be the start of a revolution to help all the Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard everywhere," Dr. Bell said.

As far as Charmander being able to talk, that was the result of a very special visitor. The legendary Mew had paid visits to the lab when the scientists weren't there. She had heard what the scientists planned to do. She was so touched that she decided to do a little experiment of her own on the experimental Charmander. She had infused it with some of her psychic powers but kept it hidden so the scientists wouldn't suspect anything.

She had paid visits every now and then to see how Charmander was doing. She had appeared in the lab and hid herself so that scientists wouldn't see her. She had seen the results of the experiment and was as relieved as the scientists. Then she removed the block she put on Charmander's psychic powers before leaving as quickly as she came.

But things wouldn't be happy for much longer. An explosion had rocked the bulding. The scientists looked back to see a huge hole in the wall. A man in a red business suit was standing in the hole in the wall. He had a sinister smirk on his face. He had happened to overhear two of the scientists talking about a perfectly healthy Charmander despite a dwindling tail flame about two weeks ago and had sent spies to keep tabs on the experiment.

"Well your experiment was a success. That's good because now Team Rocket will have good use for it," the man said, never losing the smirk.

"We'll never let Charmander go with an egotistical maniac like you Giovanni," Dr. Bell said.

"You'll have no choice in the matter. Destroy the lab but bring the Charmander unharmed," Giovanni said before taking his leave.

One of the grunts took Charmander. Charmander struggled to get free but the grunt injected her with a tranquilizer. Before the scientists could react, grenades were thrown into the lab. Team Rocket then left as the lab crumbled from the multiple explosions from the grenades. The scientists had no chance to escape and were killed. But Team Rocket would not have Charmander. Mew had heard the explosion and saw what had happened. She followed the Team Rocket helicopters. She found the helicopter that had Charmander and used Teleport on it after using her psychic powers to stop the engine.

The helicopter reappeared on the ground. Then she used Hypnosis on the grunts inside and took Charmander before disappearing. She took Charmader to an island where she knew that it would be safe because only Pokemon inabited it. When Charmander awakened, she found herself on an island. The Pokemon she saw welcomed her with open arms. Over the time she spent on the island, she had discovered and developed her psychic powers. She had also learned nearly all the fire attacks and several dragon attacks.

End Flashback

('Maybe the boy and I could be friends') Charmander thought. She then calmly approached the quartet. _"Who's your friend?" _she asked.

Ash was shocked to hear the Charmander talk. Then he studied the Charmander. Even though he couldn't remember what a Charmander was, something told him that this one was very unique.

"Odd, oddish odd oddish odd (Well, he doesn't remember his name or anything else)," Oddish responded.

_"I feel sorry for him. Anyway, I was wondering if he and I could be friends,"_ Charmander said.

"I would love that," Ash said smiling.

Charmander smiled as well. _'I'll help you with showing him around," _she said.

"Pidgey (Great)," Pidgey said.

"By the way, what kind of Pokemon are you?" Ash asked Charmander.

_"I am a Charmander," _Charmander responded.

Although Pokemon inhabited the island, not all of them were friendly. A group of unruly Pokemon had spotted Ash and the others.. This ground of unruly Pokemon hated humans with a vengeance because they were forme trained Pokemon who were physically, verbally and mentally abused and even abandoned by their trainers. These Pokemon hoped to never see another human again. They followed Ash and the group of Pokemon with him.

An hour later, Ash and the others stopped to rest. They were under some fruit trees and Charmander used Psychic to bring some of the fruite down. Then everyone dug into the fruit, finishing ten minutes later. Suddenly, a large vine wrapped around Ash.

"What's going on?" Ash asked completely terrified.

_"I'll have you free," _Charmander said before using Flamethrower on the vine.

The vine quickly dropped Ash before retracting back into the bushes.

"Thank you Charmander," Ash said.

_"Don't mention it," _Charmander said.

Then a Hydro Pump attack came at the group. Not impressed, Charmander used Psychic to redirect the Hydro Pump back to sender. She and the other Pokemon were so distracted with what else could come out that they didn't look up. A cry for help turned their attention. They saw a Fearow making off with Ash.

"Pidge, pidgey (Oh no, what do we do now)?" Pidgey asked.

"Oddish odd (There's nothing we can do)," Oddish responded sadly.

_"Lugia is his best shot now," _Charmander said.

Speaking of Lugia, he was currently speaking with Lapras. Half an hour later, they heard a very familiar voice crying for help. They looked up to see Ash in a Fearow's clutches. Lugia spread his wings are was soon airborne. It wasn't long before he closed the gap. He then got in front of Fearow.

_"This is as far as you go," _Lugia said.

Fearow came at Lugia with a Drill Peck. Lugia simply used Safeguard. Before Fearow could attack again, Lugia used Psychic to freeze it in midair. Then he removed Ash from Fearow's talons before placing Ash onto his back. Then he used Teleport to transport the Fearow to the other side of the island.

_"You all right?" _Lugia asked.

"I am now. Thank you," Ash responded.

_"You're welcome. As you witnessed, that Fearow is part of an unruly group of Pokemon on this island," _Lugia said.

"Why are they so unruly?" Ash asked.

_"They were once trained Pokemon. Unfortunately, their trainers weren't too kind to them. Wanting to get away from their trainers, the Pokemon made their way here. It has been two years now that they've been here by they still haven't been able to put their pasts behind them. Their hatred for humans burns even stronger now," _Lugia responded.

"That's bad," Ash said.

_"I know," _Lugia said. _"I'll take you back to the others now," _he added. Fifteen minutes later, he landed in a clearing not too far from where Oddish, Sandshrew, Pidgey and Charmander were. _"Well I'll be at the usual place," _he said before flying off again.

"Lugia said that the Pokemon that attacked us were victims of trainer abuse. That made me wonder how I would fare as a trainer," Ash said.

"Odd oddish odd oddish (I can feel that you would make a great trainer)," Oddish said.

"Sand, sandshrew shrew sand (Yeah, and I would gladly be one of your Pokemon)," Sandshrew said.

"Pidgey (Me too)," Pidgey said.

"Oddish (Me three)," Oddish added.

_"They said that they think that you would make a great trainer and are more than willing to be your Pokemon. I feel the same way," _Charmander said.

"Wow, thanks guys," Ash said before looking at Charmander. "Would you help translate some more for me? I need to know all of your attacks," he added.

_"It would be my pleasure," _Charmander said.

One by one, Pidgey, Oddish and Sandshrew told Ash what attacks they could do. After being a translator, Charmander then told Ash all of her attacks. Ash paid close attention. He didn't want to slip up by telling the Pokemon to do a move that they couldn't do.

"What do you say to some training now?" Ash asked.

"Pidgey (Let's do it)," Pidgey responded.

The other Pokemon nodded.

"All right. Pidgey, Oddish, you're up first," Ash said.

Pidgey and Oddish then took sides.

"Oddish, use Razor Leaf," Ash said.

"Oddish (Here it goes)," Oddish said before unleashing dozens of sharp leaves at Pidgey.

"Pidgey, counter with Gust," Ash said.

Pidgey quickly flew into the air before flapping her wings. The gush of wind that followed blew most of the razor-sharp leaves back. But some managed to get through and strike her.

"Okay Pidgey, use Peck!" Ash said.

"Pidge pidgey (You're about to get my point)," Pidgey said, diving for Oddish beak first.

"Oddish, wait until Pidgey is close then jump. Make sure to time it right though," Ash said.

Oddish nodded and watched Pidgey come closer. When Pidgey was several inches away, Oddish jumped up. Pidgey went harmlessly underneath her. Oddish quickly turned and delivered another Razor Leaf before Pidgey could recuperate. Pidgey fell out of the sky.

"Good work Oddish," Ash said.

"Oddish (Thank you)," Oddish said.

But Pidgey wasn't out just yet. She got back up, ready to continue the fight.

"You still want to battle?" Ash asked.

"Pidge, pidgey pidge pidgey (Yes, it's going to take more than that to do me in)," Pidgey responded nodding.

"Okay then Pidgey, use Quick Attack," Ash said.

Pidgey charged for Oddish so fast that neither Oddish nor Ash could react in time. Oddish went flying for ten feet. She slowly got up and came back to her position.

"That was great Pidgey. I wasn't expecting how fast you would be," Ash said.

"Pidgey. Pidgey pidge pidgey pidge (Thanks. We've had to always stay alert because the unruly Pokemon would always give us a hard time)," Pidgey said.

"The unruly Pokemon attacked you?" Ash asked after Charmander translated.

_"Yes. We've always had to retaliate because they wouldn't leave us alone otherwise. It's true that we are small, but we've had quite a bit of battle experience," _Charmander responded.

Then Ash focused back on training. "Oddish, use Stun Spore!" he said.

Oddish released a powdery yellow substance from her head. The paralyzing powder headed straight for Pidgey.

"Okay Pidgey. Use Quick Attack to escape," Ash said.

Pidgey tried her hardest, but she wasn't able to completely escape the Stun Spore. She fell from the sky, completely paralyzed. She tried to move but her muscles seemed to be frozen in place.

"Okay Oddish, one more move should..." Ash cut off his sentence when he saw Pidgey glowing. "What's happening?" he asked in awe.

_"Pidgey is evolving," _Charmander responded.

"What's evolving?" Ash asked.

_"That's when a Pokemon's appearance changes," _Charmander responded.

Soon, the evolution was complete. In the place of the small Pidgey was now a Pidgeotto.

"Pidgeooo (How about another round)?" the newly evolved Pidgeotto asked. She was no longer under the influence of the Stun Spore.

"Whoa, what is she now?" Ash asked.

_"Pidgey evolved into Pidgeotto," _Charmander responded.

"Are you feeling well enough to continue Oddish?" Ash asked.

"Odd (Yes)," Oddish responded nodding.

"All right then. Use Tackle Pidgeotto," Ash said.

Pidgeotto came at Oddish.

"Oddish, just as Pidgeotto is about to make contact with you, jump onto her back," Ash said.

Oddish waited as Pidgeotto came at her. Several seconds before impact, she jumped onto Pidgeotto's back.

"Now, use Absorb!" Ash said.

Oddish put her leaves on Pidgeotto. Then she began to drain Pidgeotto's energy. Pidgeotto began rocking to knock Oddish off but it was in vain. Oddish had drained enough of her energy, which forced her to land.

"Pidgeooo (I've had enough for now)," Pidgeotto said.

"Okay then," Ash said after Charmander translated.

Oddish then hopped off Pidgeotto's back. Then she started to glow as well. The others watched in awe as Oddish began to evolve as well. Several moments later, a Pokemon with what looked like a closed up flower on her head replaced Oddish.

"Gloom gloom (I evolved too," the newly evolved Pokemon said.

_"You're on your way to becoming a great trainer. Before I willingly gave myself for science, I have seen some pretty good trainers. From what I've seen, a good trainer is someone who does what's best for his/her Pokemon. When I told you that Pidgeotto wanted to stop, you agreed without hesitation," _Charmander said.

"Thanks Charmander. Let's head back to where Lugia is now," Ash said.

The others nodded and mde their way back to the shore, Charmander using Psychic to gently carry Pidgeotto. An hour later, they had made it back. Lugia was just resting on the beach. He opened his eyes upon hearing footsteps and looked back to see Ash and the others approaching.

_"Done exploring for the day?" _Lugia asked.

"Yeah," Ash responded.

Then Lugia noticed that two of the Pokemon looked different. _"I see that you two evolved," _he said smiling, addressing Gloom and Pidgeotto.

"Pidgeooo (We sure did)," Pidgeotto said.

Charmander then filled Lugia in on all the details. He looked at Ash and smiled.

_"It looks as though you have what it takes to be a Pokemon Trainer," _Lugia said.

"It looks that way," Ash said.

_"I know that it has only been one day since you've been here. But how do you like it here so far?" _Charmander asked.

"I like it so far. I'm really looking forward to being friends with as many Pokemon here as possible," Ash responded.

_"You'll have that chance," _Lugia said.

Ash had soon settled down for a nap. Charmander, Sandshrew, Gloom and Pidgeotto gathered around Ash and were soon off to sleep themselves. Because Lugia already had a nap, he was content with watching over the others. He thought he saw something shiny a few feet in front of him. He went over and saw something that he hadn't noticed before. A heart-shaped locket was lying in the sand.

('I wonder who this belongs to') he thought. He used his powers to open up the locket. He smiled upon seeing the picture inside.

The picture was of Ash and his mother. Lugia turned the locket around and saw the word Ashh on the back of the picture. He then headed back over to Ash. Then he used Psychic to place the locket around Ash's neck.

('I would've never thought that the answer to my biggest question would come from something as small as a necklace. Now things will be a little easier') Lugia thought. He looked down at Ash. ('I can feel that things will get a lot tougher for us all, especially you Ash. But Gloom, Pidgeotto, Lapras, Charmander, Sandshrew and I will always stick by you')

Well we've come to the end of this chapter. Now you know why Charmander is so rare. She will also play a big role in the story. Preview of Chapter 3: Training Days: Ash and Pokemon continue to train on the island. But the unruly Pokemon will have plans of their own for Ash. Will the unruly Pokemon succeed? Stay close to find out.


	3. Training Days

Recap: Gloom, Pidgey and Sandshrew showed Ash around the island. Along the way, Ash met up with a very healty Charmander despite it having no tail flame. That was thanks to a successful experiment in Saffron City two years ago. But Ash also had a very terrifying meeting while touring the island in the form of a kidnapping Fearow. But Lugia saved the day. Not too long afterwards, Oddish and Pidgey had their first trainer battle, which resulted in a double evolution. After the battle, Ash and Pokemon returned to the area Lugia brought him. Not too long after that, Lugia had found a Locket that had fallen off Ash's neck buried somewhat in the sand not too far away that had Ash's name on the back of the picture inside.  
( ) following Pokemon talk is the translation  
_Italic words _is psychic speech  
(' is Pokemon thoughts  
' is human thoughts

Chapter 3: Training Days

Two hours have now passed. Ash, Gloom, Pidgeotto, Charmander, Sandshrew and Lapras were all wide-awake now. Lugia had told htem about finding the locket. Ash was happy upon learing what his name was. The other Pokemon were happy as well. Now they could start calling him by name when they wanted.

_"So when do Sandshrew and I begin training?"_ Charmander asked.

"We can do it right now if you two are up to it," Ash responded.

"Sandshrew (I'm ready)," Sandshrew added.

_"I am too," _Charmander added.

"All right then. Take your places and we'll get started," Ash said.

Charmander and Sandshrew got to about ten feet apart from each other. Gloom and Pidgeotto got aboard Lugia's back and Lugia flew up a little before landing beside Lapras on the ocean.

"Okay Sandshrew, Charmander, we're going to do things a little different. Charmander, you can call your own shots. I'll direct Sandshrew," Ash said.

_"All right," _Charmander said.

"You ready Sandshrew?" Ash asked.

"Sand (Yep)," Sandshrew responded nodding.

"Let's get started," Ash said.

Charmander launched a Psybeam right for Sandshrew.

"Dig under it Sandshrew," Ash said.

Sandshrew dug into the sand. She surfaced right under Charmander. Charmander went flying but soon recovered with Teleport. She reappeared behind Sandshrew and gave it a Slash attack. Sandshrew went flying and landed hard on the ground. She was able to shake it off and get back up.

"Nice recovery Sandshrew. Now use Poison Sting!" Ash said.

Sandshrew fired dozens of poison energy needles towards Charmander. Charmander used Psychic to redirect the Poison Sting right back at Sandshrew.

"Dig straight down Sandshrew," Ash said.

Sandshrew dug, easily escaping the reflected attack. Then she surfaced where she was only to be lifted off the ground as a result of Charmander's Psychic attack. Charmander slammed Sandshrew to the ground. Sandshrew slowly got back up and narrowly dodged a Flamethrower attack.

"Try a Sand-Attack!" Ash said.

Sandshrew kicked up some sand. Charmander tried to burn it away with an Ember attack, but the sand made it through. Charmander was now temporarily blinded.

"Now use your Slash Sandshrew," Ash said.

Sandshrew ran up to Charmander and slashed her across her midsection. Charmander went flying, landing a couple of feet in the ocean, which also washed the sand out of her eyes. Seconds later, Charmander levitated out of the ocean and took her place again.

"You're pretty amazing Charmander," Ash said.

_"Thanks," _Charmander said before focusing on battling again. She then fired off a Dragonbreath attack.

"Dodge right Sandshrew," Ash said.

Sandshrew complied. Charmander fired Dragonbreath again, only to have the same result. Then Charmander fired a Dragon Rage attack.

"Wait for it Sandshrew. I have an idea," Ash said.

Sandshrew nodded. Charmander's attack continued towards Sandshrew. It was soon about a foot away from Sandshrew when...

"Use Dig now!" Ash said.

Sandshrew dug into the ground, completely evading the Dragon Rage. Unfortunately, Ash was now several yards behind Sandshrew and didn't take into account what would happen if Sandshrew avoided the attack. He was paralyzed with fear upon seeing the attack headed straight towards him.

_"Ash look out!" _Charmander cried.

Ash was now too scared to move. Suddenly, he felt something gently but firmly grab him by the back of his collar. He then found himself floating in the air as the Dragon Rage attack passed harmlessly underneath. Then he was gently placed on the ground. He turned around and saw Lugia standing there.

_"Are you all right?" _Lugia asked.

"I am now. Thank you," Ash responded.

_"You have to be more aware of your position during a Pokemon battle. That way, you won' t unintentionally be in the way," _Lugia said.

"I'll keep that in mind," Ash said before moving to a center position several feet away from Charmander and Sandshrew.

_"Shall we continue?" _Charmander asked.

"Yes," Ash responded.

Charmander then unleashed a Fire Spin attack. Sandshrew dodged to the left.

"Use Sandstorm Sandshrew," Ash said.

Sandshrew summoned up a small sandstorm. Charmander found herself blinded again.

"Now Sandshrew, finish this battle off with Dig!" Ash said.

Sandshrew dug into the ground, heading for the unsuspecting Charmander. The sandstorm was really affecting Charmander. The wind-driven sand was badly stinging her. Soon, Sandshrew came right under Charmander, sending her flying. The sandstorm died down several moments later, revealing a fainted Charmander.

_"Looks like Sandshrew wins," _Lugia said before using Recover on Charmander.

"Nice job Sandshrew," Ash said.

"Sandshrew (Yeah)," Sandshrew exclaimed. She did a back flip into the air. When she came down, she caused a fair-sized tremor.

"Whoa!" Ash said upon being knocked off his feet.

"Sand (Sorry)," Sandshrew said sheepishly.

_"It looks like Sandshrew just learned Earthquake," _Lugia said.

"What's Earthquake?" Ash asked.

_"Earthquake is the most powerful ground attack that a ground-type Pokemon can learn," _Charmander responded.

"Wow, good for you Sandshrew," Ash said.

"Shrew (Thanks)," Sandshrew said.

"Well let's take a break. Like we did today, we'll train twice each day on this island," Ash said as the other Pokemon nodded.

Charmander could feel that she would evolve soon. For the past year and a half, she had fought the urge to evolve down because she didn't feel quite ready at those particular times. This time, she wouldn't fight her evolution down. She was ready to accept it. ('I've fought my evolution for a while. Now will be the time to embrace it') she thought.

Things were peaceful for the rest of the day. After the sun went down, Pidgeotto and Charmander went into the forest are and brought back some fruit and nuts for everyone to eat. Lapras soon resurfaced with some fish before diving back into the water to catch and eat some fish for herself. Then everyone sat and ate the fish, fruit and nuts. A few hours afterward, everyone got settle and was soon fast asleep.

The night was a pretty peaceful now. The next morning, Ash and the other Pokemon awakened. They could barely see a thing in front of them. That was because a thick fog had rolled in overnight. Lapras surfaced and looked on in confusion. She couldn't see anyone because it was so foggy.

"Lapras lap (Are you still there)?" Lapras asked.

_"It's all right Lapras. We haven't moved," _Lugia responded.

"What is this stuff? I can't see my hand in front of my face," Ash said. He actually did have his hand in front of his face but couldn't see it due to the soup-like fog.

_"This is fog. Trust me, it's quite normal to see fog around here. As you see, it can get pretty thick," _Lugia said.

"What should we do then?" Ash asked.

_"The best thing to do will be to wait until it clears. Then we'll be able to go from there," _Charmander responded.

Everyone else nodded and just stayed where he/she was. About an hour later, the fog finally started to thin out. Ten minutes later, the fog had completely thinned out, revealing a crystal clear sky.

"Great, now we can bring back some food to eat," Ash said before heading off into the forest.

Charmander and Pidgeotto went with him. Several minutes later, they came back with a mound of food. Like last night, Charmander used Psychic to carry to mound of food, as it was too much for even her, Ash and Pidgeotto to carry. Soon afterwards, everyone ate the food. An hour later, Ash decided to get some training in.

_"Let Sandshrew and I battle again. This time, Sandshrew can call her won shots while you direct me," _Charmander responded.

"That's a pretty good idea. You up for this Sandshrew?" Ash said.

"Shrew (You betcha)," Sandshrew said with a nod.

"All right then. Get into your positions and we'll get started," Ash said.

Charmander and Sandshrew took the same positions that they did yesterday. Then Sandshrew started off with an Earthquake attack.

"Dodge it Charmander," Ash said.

Charmander levitatec herself off the ground, completely evading the attack.

"Now use Psybeam," Ash said.

Charmander fired a beam of psychic energy towards Sandshrew. Sandshrew dug into the snand to evade the Pysbeam. Then she surfaced right under Charmander. Charmander went flying for a little bit before recuperating with Teleport. She reappeared in front of Sandshrew and used Tail Whip to whack it. Sandshrew went flying for a few yards before standing back up and digging into the ground again.

"You're going to have to focus Charmander. Just before Sandshrew surfaces, use Dragonbreath," Ash said.

Charmander nodded and closed her eyes. She remained perfectly still. Several moments later, she felt the sand under her feet starting to shift. Her eyes snapped open and she fired a Dragonbreath attack at the ground, which also propelled her upwards.

"Sand (Ouch)!" Sandshrew cried upon feeling the full brunt of the Dragonbreath. She was able to recover before brewing up a fierce sandstorm.

_"Here we go again," _Charmander said.

"Think of this as a way of testing your instincts. You're going to have to hit Sandshrew in order to stop the sandstorm. Let your instincts guide you. Then use Flamethrower," Ash said.

_"Okay," _Charmander said. She closed her eyes and cleared her thoughts, sand blowing all around her.

Sandshrew came from behind. Her claws glowed, as she prepared to slash Charmander. Suddenly, Charmander did an about face and fired the Flamethrower. Sandshrew got a Flamethrower right to the face.

"Sandshrew sand (How did you know)?" Sandshrew asked as she went flying out of the sandstorm that she created, the sandstorm dying down afterwards.

"Great job Charmander," Ash said.

_"Thank you," _Charmander said.

_"Well Sandshrew is out," _Lugia suddenly said. He then placed the fainted Sandshrew on the beach before coming to shore himself. Then he used Recover on the fallen Sandshrew.

Sandshrew was good as new again. "Shrew sandshrew shrew (That was great Charmander)," she said.

_"Thanks," _Charmander said. _"Huh?" _she then asked upon feeling strange. She was soon glowing.

Ash looked on in awe as Charmander began to evolve. Several moments later, the glow had faded to reveal a Charmeleon in Charmander's place. Charmeleon was about 1'6" taller than she was a Charmander. Where her skin was orange as Charmander is now red. She had sharp blue eyes and longer claws. Also, she now had spikes lining her tail.

"You look good," Ash said.

_"Thank you," _Charmeleon said, her voice now a bit deeper as well.

"So what are you now?" Ash asked.

_"I am Charmeleon," _Charmeleon responded.

"Let's take a break now everyone. Lapras, are you up to a bit of training later?" Ash asked.

"Lap (Yes)," Lapras said nodding.

"Okay. You and Gloom will face off," Ash said.

"Gloom (Okay)," Gloom said.

But the break would have to wait. A barrage of razor sharp leaves headed right for them. Charmeleon burned through half of them with her Flamethrower attack. Pidgeotto blew some more of them away with Gust and Lapras froze the remaining leaves with Ice Beam. Then the Pokemon responsible for the attack stepped into everyone's line of vision.

It was a Venosaur. But it wasn't alone. A Poliwrath, a Furret, a Raichu and a Heracross had also shown themselves. Then the Raichu aimed a Thunderbolt at Ash. Lugia countered the attack with Aeroblast. Lugia's attack cut right through the Thunderbolt and made direct impact with Raichu, sending Raichu flying.

"Whoa, what an attack," Ash said in awe.

"Gloom (You said it)," Gloom agreed, also in awe.

Venosaur had been charging up during Raichu's attack and was now ready for a Solarbeam. Venosaur fired the Solarbeam. Charmeleon used Psychic to redirect the attack at Poliwrath. The attack made impact with Poliwrath, fainting it instantly. Heracross then came at Ash with a Mega Horn attack.

"Pidgeooo (No you don't)!" Pidgeotto said. She charged for Heracross, her wings glowing. Seconds later, she struck Heracross with her wings.

Heracross went down. Ash was shocked upon seeing what Pidgeotto just did.

"Whoa what was that?" Ash asked.

_"That was Wing Attack," _Lugia responded.

Heracross got back up. It then charged Charmeleon with another Mega Horn ready. Charmeleon simply froze it in place with Psychic. Then she used Fire Spin on the trapped Pokemon. She let the now fainted Heracross fall to the ground.

_"That takes care of you," _Charmeleon said to the fainted Heracross.

Furret had charged up for a Hyper Beam and soon let the attack fly at Ash. Charmeleon countered with Dragonbreath. The attacks quickly cancelled each other out. Before Furret could do anything more, Sandshrew surfaced right underneath it, sending it flying. It landed next to Venosaur. It quickly got back up, ready to continue the battle.

"Veno. Venosaur saur (No. We should retreat for now)," Venosaur said.

"Fur (Okay)," Furret said as Venosaur grabbed the fainted Raichu, Poliwrath and Heracross with its vines.

Then the Pokemon retreated back into the forest.

"Will they ever put their pasts behind them? This is getting ridiculous," Ash said.

_"Tell us about it," _Charmeleon said.

Then Ash and the others took a break. By late afternoon, Gloom and Lapras prepared to battle each other. Gloom would call her own shots while Ash directed Lapras. Lugia and Charmeleon used Psychic on some of the trees to create a floating platform for Gloom to stand on.

"Are you ready?" Ash asked from Lugia's back.

Lapras and Gloom nodded. Gloom then started with a newly learned Petal Dance attack.

"Dive underwater to avoid it!" Ash said.

Lapras dove under the waves, easily avoiding the leaves. Then she resurfaced. Gloom then released a Stun Spore.

"Use Blizzard to blow it away!" Ash said.

Lapras fired a blizzard from her mouth. The attck not only blew the Stun Spore to oblivion, but it also pelted Gloom somewhat.

"Gloom (That's cold)," Gloom said shivering a little.

The blizzard soon died. Gloom fired Razor Leaf at Lapras.

"Freeze them with Ice Beam!" Ash said.

Lapras froze the leaves solid.

"Follow up with Hydro Pump!" Ash said.

Lapras fired a powerful stream of water from her mouth. Luckily for Gloom, the platform was wide enough for her to be able to move around. She sidestepped the attack before retaliating with Petal Dance. Caught off guard, Lapras suffered a direct hit.

"Don't fret Lapras. End this match with Sing," Ash said.

Lapras then started to sing. Gloom then began to get drowsy. Soon, she was fast asleep. Everyone else was still awake. That was because Lapras learned how to focus the attack to affect only those that she wanted it to affect.

_"Well compared to how most battles end, that was a pretty peaceful end," _Charmeleon said.

Lugia then lowered the platform back onto the beach. Then he landed and Ash dismounted him.

"For a Pokemon who doesn't fight for the most part, you did very well Lapras," Ash said.

"Lapras (Thank you)," Lapras said.

"What do you all say to two-on-two battles tomorrow? I'll let you call your own shots," Ash said.

_"That sounds fair enough," _Charmeleon said as the others nodded.

_"I'll stay out of it. It wouldn't be fair if I battled as well because I'm a lot stronger than all of you," _Lugia said.

"Sandshrew (We understand Lugia)," Sandshrew said as the others nodded.

But then Ash had an idea. "Maybe there is a way for you to battle after all Lugia," he said.

_"How?" _Lugia asked.

"Because you are pretty strong, you can help the others become strong as well. Of course you're going to have to hold back on your strength and power to start. You can pace yourself on how much strength you use at what time," Ash responded.

Lugia realized that Ash had made a very valid point. _"I didn't think of it that way. That's a great idea," _he said as the others nodded.

Then Gloom woke up. "Gloom gloom (Did I miss anything)?" she asked.

_"We're going to have a doubles match tomorrow. We'll get to battle by ourselves," _Charmeleon responded.

"Gloom (Cool)," Gloom said.

Charmeleon suddenly shot a Flamethrower into the air. Everyone looked up to see Fearow diving down. Lugia fired an Aeroblast at the rapidly approaching Fearow. Fearow couldn't get out of the way in time and suffered a direct hit from the Aeroblast, fainting while still in the air. It fell to the ground hard. Lugia transported it back to the other side of the island.

_"This is getting pretty old pretty fast," _Charmeleon said in a very annoyed tone.

"Why don't Fearow and those other unruly Pokemon want to be friends?" Ash asked.

_"I know what you mean. Sure they were unfortunate enough to have horrible trainers. But that doesn't give them the right to judge all humans the same," _Lugia responded. Then he looked up.

"What is it Lugia?" Ash asked.

_"Look up and you'll see," _Lugia responded.

Ash and the others looked up. Ash was in awe upon what he saw. A small cat floated down towards them. She floated to and hovered in front of Ash.

"Mew (Hi)!" the Pokemon said.

_"She said hi," _Charmeleon said.

"Hi," Ash said, still in awe. "What is she?" he added.

_"She is Mew, a legendary Pokemon," _Lugia responded.

"So in a small sense, she's like you because you are a legendary Pokemon as well," Ash said.

_"You can say that. Also like me, she's a Psychic Pokemon," _Lugia said.

Mew was looking at Charmeleon. "Mew mew mew mew (I see that you've evolved)," she said.

_"I sure have," _Charmeleon said.

"It seems as though Mew knows you Charmeleon," Ash said.

_"Actually, she does. She's the reason to why I'm a psychic-type Pokemon in additon to beinga fire/dragon-type Pokemon. She did her own experiment on me if you will," _Charmeleon said.

"Mew (That's right)," Mew said.

"So you come to check up on Charmeleon every now and then?" Ash asked.

"Mew (Precisely)," Mew responded with a nod. "Mew mew mew mew mew mew (Your powers are developing quite nicely)," she added towards Charmeleon.

_"I've never been able to truly relax with those unruly Pokemon around. If there's anything good about those Pokemon, it's the battle experience I've gotten from all the times I had to fight them," _Charmeleon said.

Mew spent the rest of the day with Ash and the others. At about dusk, she disappeared from the island. Charmeleon and Sandshrew went out into the forest and came back with a decent amount of berries. Several minutes later, everyone had eaten all the berries. Several hours later, the sky began to cloud up. Soon, it began to rain.

"It looks like we'll have to find shelter for the night," Ash said.

_"No need for that," _Lugia said.

"Why's that?" Ash asked.

As a response, Lugia put up a barrier. _"The barrier that I just put up will shield us from the rain," _he responded.

"Great. Now we can sleep without having to worry about being soaked," Ash said before getting settled and falling asleep.

Soon, the others had fallen asleep as well. Lapras simply dove underwater and was soon asleep herself. The next morning, the storm had long since moved on. Everyone awakened to a crystal clear sky. Lugia removed the barrier. Lapras surfaced after eating the fish she hunted.

"Well it looks like today is going to be a much better as far as the weather," Ash said.

_"Yeah," _Charmeleon said.

"Let's eat first. Then you can train," Ash said.

Gloom and Charmeleon went into the forest and soon came back with fruits, vegetables and nuts. Then everyone except Lapras ate their fill. Hlaf an hour after eating, the six Pokemon divided into three pairs. The battles would go like this: Lapras vs. Lugia, Charmeleon vs. Sandshrew and Pidgeotto vs. Gloom. The winners of the Charmeleon vs. Sandshrew and Pidgeotto vs. Gloom battles would face off against each other. Then the winner of that match would face the winner of the Lapras vs. Lugia match.

_"You can be the referee of our matches," _Lugia said.

"What's a referee and what does a referee do?" Ash asked.

_"A referee is basically a type of judge. He/She observes the battles both to make sure that the Pokemon are fighting fairly and to determine if a Pokemon can continue the battle," _Lugia responded.

"Okay. I'll do my best," Ash said.

Then the battles got underway. Lugia started things off with a low-powered Psybeam towards Lapras. Lapras dodged underwater and surfaced with an Ice Beam. Lugia used Aeroblast to cancel it out. Meanwhile, Pidgeotto had gotten a good hit on Gloom with Wing Attack. Gloom was able to recover. Then she used Stun Spore. Pidgeotto got out of the Stun Spore's path with Agility.

Sandshrew had fired a Poison Sting at Charmeleon. Charmeleon sent the attack right back with Psychic. Sandshrew dug under the ground to avoid the reflected attack. She then tried to surface under Charmeleon, but Charmeleon used Psychic on the ground around her to send Sandshrew flying.

Sandshrew recovered and used Sandstorm. She had focused it so it would only be over Charmeleon and she. The wind-driven sand was really starting to affect Charmeleon. Sandshrew then used Earthquake. Although greatly affected by the sandstorm, Charmeleon was able to jump into the air, avoiding the attack. Then she concentrated hard and was able to put up a barrier over herself. The sandstorm didn't affect her now.

"Great job Charmeleon. It looks like you've learned Barrier," Ash said.

_"Yep," _Charmeleon said.

Meanwhile, Pidgeotto used Gust against Gloom. Gloom went flying in the wind. Then Pidgeotto used Wing Attack. The combo did the trick. Gloom fell to the ground, totally out of commission. Pidgeotto landed, waiting to face the winner of the Charmeleon vs. Sandshrew match.

"Gloom is no longer able to battle. Pidgeotto wins this match," Ash said.

Meanwhile, the Lapras vs. Lugia battle was just about over. Lugia finished the battle with Psychic.

"Lapras can no longer continue. Lugia wins," Ash said. "Not bad for having to hold back a lot of your strength," he added.

_"Thank you," _Lugia said.

"Sandshrew (You win)," Sandshrew said before fainting.

Charmeleon had trapped Sandshrew in a Fire Spin before finishing the deal with Dragonbreath.

"Sandshrew can no longer battle. Victory to Charmeleon," Ash said. "Pidgeotto, Charmeleon, take a ten-minute rest. Then you can duke it out," he added.

Charmeleon and Pidgeotto nodded. Lugia used Recover on Lapras. Charmeleon used Recover on Gloom. Then she did the same on Sandshrew. Lapras surfaced above the waves while Gloom and Sandshrew went over next to Ash. Ten minutes later, the battle between Charmeleon and Pidgeotto got underway. Charmeleon started with Flamethrower. Pidgeotto used Agility to get out of the way. Then she charged in with a Wing Attack at the ready. Charmeleon blasted her back with Psybeam. Then Charmeleon used Dragonbreath while Pidgeotto was disoriented. Pidgeotto fell from the sky but was able to get airborne again.

Then Pidgeotto used Gust. Charmeleon was knocked off her feet. But she was able to use her powers to levitate in the air. Then she used Dragon Rage. Pidgeotto dodged with Double Team and came at Charmeleon with Wing Attack again. Charmeleon was able to quickly located the real Pidgeotto. She turned to the left and fired a Flamethrower. The real Pidgeotto fell from the sky again. Charmeleon followed uu with Psybeam, ending the match.

"Pidgeotto is unable to continue. Charmeleon is the winner," Ash said.

Charmeleon then used Recover on Pidgeotto. Ten minutes later, she and Lugia faced off. Lugia started off with Psybeam. Charmeleon cancelled out Lugia's Psybeam with her own. Then Lugia fired an Aeroblast. Charmeleon cancelled the attack out with her Flamethrower. Then Charmeleon attempted to do Psychic on Lugia. She was unsuccessful because of the weight issue. She just wasn't strong enough to lift Lugia even an inch yet.

_"Even though I'm holding back because I want to be fair to you, let me show you how it's done," _Lugia said before using Psychic on Charmeleon.

Charmeleon was lifted off the ground and sent flying. She recovered with Teleport. She reappeared behind Lugia and used Flamethrower. But Lugia used Barrier before turning around and firing a Hydro Pump attack. Charmeleon was knocked to the ground but was able to recover. She used Recover on herself before firing a Dragonbreath attack. Lugia used Aeroblast to cancel the attack out. Then he used Aeroblast again. Charmeleon used Barrier but it shattered when Lugia's attack made impact. Although the Aeroblast was a weak on, it was still strong enough to break the barrier Charmeleon put around herself.

_"That's pretty impressive for a weak Aeroblast,"_ Charmeleon said.

_"Thanks," _Lugia said. He then came charging at Charmelon, a Wing Attack at the ready.

Charmeleon used Teleport with only seconds to spare. But Lugia simply turned around and came at Charmeleon again. Caught off guard, Charmeleon took a direct hit.

"That was a good recovery Lugia," Ash said.

_"Thank you," _Lugia said.

Ash could see that Charmeleon was struggling to get up. Finally, she went down for the count.

"Charmeleon is unable to battle. Lugia is the winner," Ash said.

Lugia landed before using Recover on Charmeleon. Then he used Recover on himself. _"That was a great battle Charmeleon," _he said.

_"You did great yourself," _Charmeleon said.

"All of you did very well. I was very impressed," Ash said.

_"Thank you," _Charmeleon said as the others nodded.

"Now let's all take a break," Ash said.

The others nodded. Then Lapras dove back under the waves to take a nap. Deciding to follow her example, the others decided to take a nap as well. Ash got onto Lugia's back before falling asleep. Lugia got into a comfortable position before falling asleep as well. The others had soon gotten into comfortable positions and had fallen asleep as well.

Well, here's the end of another chapter. Things are going to get pretty interesting starting next chapter. Preview for Chapter 4: Return to Civilization: After spending two years on the island, Ash feels the need to be around others like him. So he and his six Pokemon head off to New Bark Town so he can become a licensed trainer. Ash's Pokemon journey will now begin. 


	4. Return to Civilization

Recap: Ash and his Pokemon friends spent time training on the island. After the second Charmander vs. Sandshrew battle, Charmander had evolved. She could've evolved long ago but didn't because she wasn't ready at the time. She had fought her evolution down for over a year before deciding that the time was finally right. But peace was one thing that came and went. The group of unruly Pokemon did not give up in trying to kill Ash but every attempt has been successfully thwarted.  
( ) after Pokemon talk is the translation  
_Italic words _is psychic speech  
/ is Ash mental conversation with Lugia and/or Charizard  
_/Italic words/ _is Lugia and/or Charizard mental conversation with Ash  
(' is Pokemon thoughts  
' is human thoughts 

Chapter 4: Return to Civilization

Two years have passed since Ash was brought to the island. Over the years, Ash made friends with most of the Pokemon on the island. He had also continued training with the six Pokemon who chose him to be their trainer. The unruly Pokemon still hadn't put their pasts behind them and had attacked Ash and the others from time to time, which on the bright side gave the Pokemon more experience.

Due to the training and having to battle the unruly Pokemon just about everyday, Pidgeotto, Charmeleon and Sandshrew had evolved. As far as Gloom, she happened to unknowingly touch a Sun Stone one day and had evolved into Bellossom seconds later. But the Pokemon weren't the only ones who went through rigorous training.

Ash had also gone through training while he was on the island. He did everything from climbing trees and cliff walls to swimming in lakes, rivers and even the ocean to physical training with his Pokemon. As a result to his training, his body had become muscular but still lean. Lugia and Charizard used their powers to give Ash the ability to mentally speak with them as well as understand all Pokemon.

Currently, Ash, Lugia, Lapras, Sandslash, Charizard, Pidgeot and Bellossom were helping a Ledyba and a Ledian. A few of their children were trapped inside a small cave. Last night's rainstorm had triggered a landslide, which trapped the young Ledyba in the cave while their parents were still away.

"We're almost through," Ash said. He and Sandslash had been physically digging through the mess.

Charizard and Lugia used Psychic to help speed things up more. Lapras used Ice Beam to freeze some of the debris while Bellossom melted the frozen over debris with Solarbeam. Pidgeot had used Mirror Move to help Charizard and Lugia psychically remove the debris. About ten minutes later, Ash and Pokemon had finally cleared away all the debris, revealing three small and quite terrified Ledyba. Upon seeing their parents, the Ledyba flew over to them. Ledyba and Ledian hugged their children.

"Ledyba led (Thank you so much)," the parent Ledyba said to Ash and the others.

_"You're welcome," _Charizard said. Then she lay down so Ash could mount her. She had become quite large as a result from the tough training she went through.

Ash mounted Charizard and she took off. Bellossom hitched a ride on Pidgeot and Sandslash was on Lugia's back. Lugia used Psychic to gently tow Lapras through the air. Lugia then saw a distant look on Ash's face.

_"Is something wrong?" _Lugia asked.

"It's just that I wish to be around other people. Now don't get me wrong. I really enjoy being around the Pokemon here. But since a few months ago, I've had the urge to be around people," Ash responded.

_"I knew that this day would come," _Charizard said.

_"As did we," _Lugia said as the others nodded. _"The nearest city is Olivine. But I think that we should head to New Bark Town first," _he added.

"Why's that?" Ash asked.

_"So you can be registered as an official Pokemon Trainer. That way, you can challenge the gyms in the Johto region and/or even catch Pokemon if you want," _Lugia responded.

"That sounds like a plan. I've been wanting to see how you guys would do against other trainers' Pokemon," Ash said.

"Bellossom bell (Then New Bark Town it is)," Bellossom said.

"Slash, sandslash (Yeah, let's go)," Sandslash said.

_"I've been around the Johto region a lot and know my way around it so I'll lead the way," _Lugia said, taking the lead.

The others nodded and followed Lugia's lead. They had reached New Bark Town two days later. Professor Elm was just outside his lab when he saw a group of Pokemon approaching. He looked on in awe upon seeing that one of the Pokemon was the legendary Lugia. Soon, the Pokemon touched down in front of him. Upon seeing Charizard, he couldn't help the awestruck gasp that came out of his mouth.

He had never seen a twenty-foot tall Charizard before. In addition to the height he also couldn't help but notice that this Charizard's skin tone was much different from others that he had seen. He had also never seen a Charizard with a spiked tail. But the most amazing thing to him was that Charizard looked perfectly healthy even though there was no tail flame. He then saw a young boy dismount the Charizard. He couldn't help the question that came out of his mouth.

"Are these Pokemon yours?" Professor Elm asked.

"They are in a sense," Ash responded.

"What do you mean?" Professor Elm asked.

"They chose to be with me. But I am not an official trainer yet. That's why we came here," Ash responded.

"Oh I see. Well come into my lab and I'll get you all set," Professor Elm said.

Ash followed Professor Elm into the lab. To make sure that other trainers wouldn't try to catch the Pokemon, Professor Elm had a lab assistant to be with the Pokemon.

"How long have you had your Pokemon?" Professor Elm asked.

"I've had them for two years. Of course Charizard, Sandslash, Bellossom and Pidgeot were in their unevolved forms when I met them," Ash responded.

"You have a great head start on being a Pokemon trainer then," Professor Elm said smiling.

"Thanks," Ash said.

"Normally, beginning trainers choose from one of these three starter Pokemon. Even though you are not an official trainer just yet, you are definitely not a beginner. But do you want to choose between these starter Pokemon anyway?" Professor Elm said, holding three Poke Balls.

"Okay," Ash said.

Professor Elm released the Pokemon from their Poke Balls. "The little alligator on the left is Totodile. The little fire mouse Pokemon in the center is Cyndaquil, and the little four-legged Pokemon with a leaf on its head is Chikorita," he said.

Ash went over to within an arm's length of the three Pokemon and got down on his knees to have a good look at them. What happened next would prove to be very fascinating. Instead of Ash choosing which of the three Pokemon he wanted, all three Pokemon had chosen him. They had gathered around him. Chikorita rubbed her head against his right leg. Cyndaquil climbed onto his shoulder, and Totodile hugged his left leg.

"I must say that I've never seen this happen before. It looks like all three of them really like you," Professor Elm asked.

"Is that a problem?" Ash asked.

"Normally it is. Because you already have six Pokemon with you, any other Pokemon ou acquire will automatically be sent back here. But I can sense something very special about you and will make an exception," Professor Elm responded. He then went over to the Pokedex before making some modifications on it. He then went to Ash, handing over the modified Pokedex. "This is a Pokedex. All trainers have one. But I modified yours a bit. Instead of being able to carry only six Pokemon with you, you'll be able to carry as many as you want," he added.

"Great," Ash said.

"You are one of the very few trainers who can legally carry more than six Pokemon at a time. Only the most elite of trainers have the modification," Professor Elm said.

"I feel honored," Ash said.

"Well here is a Pokegear for you as well as some Poke Balls. To catch Pokemon, just throw an empty ball at them. In most cases, that will be easier if you wear the Pokemon down first," Professor Elm said before placing twenty balls in a backpack. Then the gave the backpack and the gear to Ash.

"Thanks Professor," Ash said.

"You're welcome and good luck," Professor Elm said.

"Thanks," Ash said.

"By the way, what's your name?" Professor Elm asked.

"Oh, it's Ash," Ash responded before heading outside with Totodile, Cyndaquil and Chikorita. He saw a kid about his age with long red hair watching all of the Pokemon intently. He didn't see Lugia or Charizard and figured that they must've sensed the kid coming. He could see how uneasy his other Pokemon looked under the kid's gaze. "Don't even think about it. These are my Pokemon," he said.

"How come you have all of the starters?" the kid asked.

"Because they all wanted to go with me and the Professor allowed it," Ash responded. He then caught Sandslash, Pidgeot, Bellossom and Lapras before letting all but Lapras out again. Now he didn't have to worry about someone saying that they caught his Pokemon fair and square. Then he started on his way.

Upon getting out of the kid's line of sight, Charizard and Lugia landed in front of Ash.

"Don't mention it. I can already tell that this kid is going to be very annoying," Ash said, catching Lugia and Charizard. About two hours later, he reached Cherrygrove City and went to the Pokemon Center. He returned his Pokemon before giving them to Nurse Joy. He got them back ten minutes later and continued on his way.

Five minutes later into Route 30, a trainer had confirmed him, demanding a battle. Ash agreed and the trainer sent out a Weedle. Wanting to give his newly acquired Pokemon experience, he chose Totodile. The battle was over in only a few minutes. The trainer couldn't believe that his Pokemon was defeated so quickly. Then Ash moved on.

_/That was only a novice trainer. I can't wait until we face a Gym Leader/ _Charizard said.

/You'll have your chance soon enough. While in the Pokemon Center, I heard someone talking about how tough the Violet City Gym Leader's Pidgeot was/

More trainers had challenged Ash to Pokemon battles. Ash didn't have much difficulty winning. But Cyndaquil, Totodile and Chikorita did get some good experience from the trainer battles. He rode Lugia the rest of the way to Violet City. Upon landing at the Violet City, Ash dismounted and returned Lugia. Then he decided to spend the night at the Violet City Pokemon Center. After having breakfast the next morning, Ash prepared to leave for the gym.

"Before you take on the Gym Leader, maybe you should test your skills against the sages of the Sprout Tower," Nurse Joy said.

"What's the Sprout Tower?" Ash asked.

"It is a place that was believed to house a large Bellsprout long ago. There are some wild Bellsprout that live in the tower. The sages of the tower worship the Bellsprout that live in the tower but will battle any trainer that visits the tower. You'll have an advantage if you have a fire or flying Pokemon because they sages only use Bellsprout in battle," Nurse Joy responded.

"Thanks for the tidbit," Ash said before leaving the Pokemon Center. 'I'll take on the sages. It will give Cyndaquil some good experience,' he thought. He saw the Sprout Tower in the near distance and headed over to it. He was soon in front of the tower and entered slowly. He saw statues of Bellsprout scattered all over the room. He saw other people looking at the statues. Then he went to the second floor. A sage turned and saw him approaching.

"Ah, we have another visiting trainer," the sage said.

Ash bowed to the sage to show respect.e

"There's something special about you. I can sense that destiny has something special planned for you young man. Now, let me witness you in battle," the sage said before releasing his Bellsprout.

Ash released Cyndaquil. Five minutes later, the battle was over. Cyndaquil being the winner.

"Ah, you battled very well," the sage said.

"Thanks," Ash said before he and Cyndaquil moved on. Five minutes later, Cyndaquil defeated that sage's Bellsprout too. Then Ash returned Cyndaquil and went up to the third floor. He soon came across another sage. Just like the sages before him, he was defeated in five minutes. The fourth sage didn't fare any better. Then Ash had made it to the final room. He had battled three more sages, defeating each of them in five minutes.

Just then, the kid that Ash saw in New Bark Town had finished battling the lead sage. "So we meet again," the kid said.

"Who are you anyway?" Ash asked.

"My name is Alex," the kid responded.

"And you can learn to be more lenient with your Pokemon. The way you battle them is far too harsh," the lead sage said.

"A trainer shouldn't be lenient when training Pokemon. Harsh training is what ends up making Pokemon strong. If there's anyone who can be taught a lesson in Pokemon training, it's you," Alex said before storming out of the tower.

"He's rude," Ash said dryly.

_/Tell me about it/ _Lugia and Charizard said just as dryly.

"So you have defeated the other sages as well," the lead sage said upon seeing Ash.

"Yes," Ash said nodding.

"Very well, let's see how you battle young man," the sage said.

"All right," Ash said before releasing Cyndaquil.

The sage then called forth his Bellsprout. Cyndaquil had taken it out five minutes later. The second Bellsprout proved to be more of a challenge, but Cyndaquil was able to defeat it fifteen minutes later. The sage was very impressed with the way Ash battled. He also saw that Ash really cared about Cyndaquil's wellbeing. Cyndaquil was getting pretty tired in the battle against the second Bellsprout. Ash was going to switch out, but Cyndaquil was willing to finish the battle.

"Ah, well done. I sensed something special about you and you are a special trainer indeed. You understand the meaning of being lenient with your Pokemon. Your Cyndaquil responds very well to you becuase you have a great bond with it. Having a strong bond with your Pokemon eventually leads to having strong Pokemon," the sage said.

_/It sure does/ _Charizard said, Ash smiling upon hearing that.

"Cynda (Huh)?" Cyndaquil asked upon feeling strange. She soon began to glow.

"Cyndaquil is evolving," Ash said in awe.

Soon the evolution was complete. In Cyndaquil's place stood a Quilava.

"Quilava (I look good)!" Quilava said.

"Yes you do," Ash said, pulling out his Pokedex.

"Quilava, the fire Pokemon. Quilava is the evolved form of Cyndaquil. If provoked to attack, Quilava will have its back facing its enemies, ready to ignite the flames on its head and rear," the Pokedex said.

"It looks like the bond you have has already started to show itself," one of the other sages said.

"I guess so," Ash said before petting Quilava.

Quilava gave a sigh of content. Then Ash returned Quilava.

"Here, take this HM," the sage said.

"What does HM mean?" Ash asked.

"HM is short for Hidden Machine. Any Pokemon you give this HM to will learn Flash. There are a lot of dark caves in Johto," the sage responded.

"Thanks," Ash said, taking the HM.

"Good luck against Falkner," the sage said.

"Thanks," Ash said before leaving the tower. He headed back to the Pokemon Center. Ten minutes later, he got Quilava's ball back. Then he headed to the gym. He didn't see anyone in the immediate area and just waited where he was.

Several minutes later, Falkner had come inside the gym. He saw Ash patiently waiting. "You have come to try for the Zephyr Badge is that correct?" he asked.

"Yes," Ash responded.

"Follow me," Falkner said.

Ash followed Falkner up to the roof.

"I suppose you're wondering why we're up here," Falkner said.

"Yes I am," Ash said.

"Well since I train bird Pokemon. I prefer to have battled outdoors, weather permitting of course. That way, flying Pokemon don't have to worry about being confined because they can move around as they like," Falkner said. "I'm Falkner, leader of this gym," he added.

"My name is Ash," Ash said.

"We will use two Pokemon each for this battle," Falkner said getting into position on his side of the battlefield.

"That's fine with me," Ash said, getting on his side of the battlefield. "I choose you Totodile!" Ash said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Totodile (Let's do this)," Totodile said.

"I choose Pidgeotto!" Falkner said, releasing the said Pokemon.

Suddenly, Ash's Pidgeot released herself from her ball. She wanted to watch.

"You want to watch?" Ash asked.

"Pidgeot (Yes)," Pidgeot respond with a nod.

Falkner was impressed upon seeing Ash's Pidgeot. "I have to say that your Pidgeot is very impressive. She looks very strong," he said.

Ash was shocked upon hearing Falkner's last statement. "How did you know that my Pidgeot was female?" he asked.

"I have been around Pidgey, Pidgeotto and Pidgeot since I was born. Being around them for so long is how I became able to tell male from female. The Pidgeot I train is male," Falkner responded.

"Oh," Ash said in understanding.

"Now shall we get this battle started?" Falkner said.

"All right. Totodile use Water Gun!" Ash responded.

"Toto (Okay)!" Totodile said, firing the Water Gun.

"Dodge with Agility Pidgeotto!" Falkner countered.

Pidgeotto quickly evaded the Water Gun.

"Now use Wing Attack!" Falkner said.

Pidgeotto charged for Totodile, wings glowing.

"Dodge that attack!" Ash said.

Totodile danced out of the way.

"Use Bubble quick!" Ash said.

Totodile fired the attack, catching Pidgeotto off guard. Pidgeotto fell to the ground but was able to take to the air again.

"That was impressive Ash I have to admit," Falkner said.

"Thanks," Ash said.

"Now Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!" Falkner said.

Pidgeotto charged for Totodile.

"Steady Totodile," Ash said.

Knowing that Ash had a plan, Totodile stood calmly where he was. Pidgeotto close the distance.

"Now Totodile, use Water Gun!" Ash said a minute later.

Totodile complied. Pidgeotto couldn't pull up and suffered a direct hit. Pidgeotto slammed to the ground again. It got back up but didn't have the strength to get airborne again.

"Use Mud-Slap Pidgeotto!" Falkner said.

Some of the dirt on the roof was still wet from the rainstorm that had passed two days ago. Pidgeotto slapped some of it with his wings, creating a mud spray. Totodile suffered a direct hit from the mud. Not only that, but he was also temporarily blinded.

"Use Mud-Slap again while it's disoriented!" Falkner said.

Pidgeotto complied and sent more mud in Totodile's direction.

"Totodile, turn around and use Water Gun!" Ash said.

Totodile turned around and fired off the Water Gun. The Water Gun made impact with Pidgeotto, fainting it. But Pidgeotto's attack made contact with Totodile, fainting him as well.

"Totodile and Pidgeotto are out. It's a draw," the referee said.

"Well Ash, I'm very impressed," Falkner said, returning the fainted Pidgeotto.

"Thanks Falkner," Ash said, returning Totodile. "You did your best Totodile," he added before putting the ball back on his belt.

"Your Pidgeot revealed herself to us. Well say hello to mine," Falkner said, throwing the ball and releasing his Pidgeot.

"Pidgeot (Let's battle)!" Falkner's Pidgeot said; wings spread. He was 8' tall, which was 1'6" taller than Ash's Pidgeot. He then saw Ash's Pidgeot and smiled at her.

Ash's Pidgeot smiled back.

"It looks like our Pidgeot want to be friends," Ash said.

"Will you be using her to battle?" Falkner asked.

"No, she basically just wanted to watch the battle. I'm content with that," Ash said before taking a ball off his belt. "Charizard, I choose you!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.

Charizard appeared in a flash of sparkly light. _"I'm ready," _she said.

"Whoa," Falkner said in awe.

Even Falkner's Pidgeot and the referee were awestruck upon seeing Charizard. To see a perfectly healthy Charizard despite it having no tail flame is both a sight to behold and someone to never forget.

"Where did you get her?" Falkner asked, still in awe.

"Actually, she came to me," Ash responded before telling Falkner what happened.

"So you have trained Pokemon before becoming an official trainer. I couldn't help but suspect htat you were different from many other trainers I've faced," Falkner said. "Anyway, let's get this battle started. Pidgeot use Gust!" he added.

Pidgeot flapped his wings slow and hard. Four glowing blades of energy shot out of his wings.

"Dodge up!" Ash said.

_"Right," _Charizard said, flying up. She easily avoided the Gust attack.

"Try a Whirlwind Pidgeot!" Falkner said.

Pidgeot rapidly flapped his wings. A huge column of air swirled towards Charizard. Not being able to see the attack clearly, Charizard was blown backwards. She was able to fly out of the swirling wind and was soon back over the battlefiled.

_"That was not fun," _Charizard said.

"Use Wing Attack!" Falkner said.

"Pidgeot charged with his wings glowing.

"Blast him back with Dragonbreath!" Ash countered.

Charizard fired off the said attack. Pidgeot ended up going backwards in the powerful attack. But he was soon able to get underneath the attack and made his way over the battlefield.

"Use Mirror Move!" Falkner said.

Pidgeot complied and fired a Dragonbreath attack at Charizard.

"Counter it with Dragon Rage!" Ash said.

Charizard did so, and the two attacks cancelled each other out.

"Now use Flamethrower!" Ash said.

Charizard fired a flamethrower.

"Get out of there with Agility!" Falkner countered.

Pidgeot easily maneuvered away from the Flamethrower.

"Now use Quick Attack!" Falkner said.

Pidgeot charged for Charizard at incredible speeds. Before Ash or Charizard could react, Pidgeot made impact. But because Charizard was much bigger than Pidgeot, the Quick Attack didn't affect her too much.

_"You'll have to do better than that," _Charizard said before using Flamethrower.

Pidgeot fell from the sky. But he was able to take to the air again.

"It looks like its time for tactics. Use Double Team!" Falkner said.

Pidgeot made multiple copies of himself, which soon surrounded Charizard.

"Now use Wing Attack!" Falkner said.

Pidgeot and his copies came at Charizard, wings glowing. Ash just smiled though. He knew that Charizard wouldn't have any trouble finding the real Pidgeot because Double Team followed up with Wing Attack was a move that his Pidgeot did against her many times on the island.

"Use Fire Spin!" Ash said.

Charizard had already located the real Pidgeot. She turned around and used Fire Spin. The fake Pidgeot disappeared as the real one was now trapped inside the Fire Spin.

"Now use Dragonbreath while it's trapped!" Ash said.

Charizard complied. The trapped Pidgeot suffered a direct hit and fell onto the battlefield below. The referee checked on Pidgeot and saw swirls in Pidgeot's eyes.

"Pidgeot is no longer able to battle. Charizard is the winner. The winner of this battle is green trainer Ash," the referee said.

"All right!" Ash said excitedly.

Charizard flew down and picked him up before flying around the battlefiend for a little while. Then she landed on the battlefield. Falkner had returned his fainted Pidgeot.

"That was a great battle Ash. I really enjoyed it," Falkner said.

"Thanks Falkner," Ash said.

"As proof of your victory against me, I present the Zephyr Badge to you," Falkner said, holding out the badge. "Also, take this Technical Machine or TM for short. It teaches Mud-Slap," he added, holding out the TM as well.

"Thank you," Ash said, taking the badge and the TM. Then he returned Charizard before descending to the ground floor. Then he left the gym and returned to the Pokemon Center to have Totodile and Charizard healed. He got Charizard's ball back only a couple of minutes later.

"Here you go," Nurse Joy said, handing Totodile's ball to Ash about fifteen minutes later.

"Thank you," Ash said, taking his Pokemon. He then let Totodile out. "Feeling better?" he asked.

"Toto (Yeah)," Totodile responded. "Dile (Huh)?" he added upon feeling strange. He looked down and saw himself glowing.

Ash looked on as the evolution took place. Soon, a Croconaw had replaced Totodile. Ash pointed his Pokedex at Croconaw.

"Croconaw, the bite Pokemon. Croconaw is the evolved form of Totodile. There is almost no escape from its very powerful jaws," the Pokedex said.

"Croconaw (Now I feel great)," Croconaw said.

Ash returned his newly evolved Pokemon. He decided to spend the rest of the day and the night at the Pokemon Center before heading on his way again. Nurse Joy showedhim where he would be staying for the night before heading back into the front. Ash meanwhile had let Bellossom, Croconaw, Chikorita and Quilava out of their balls. Bellossom danced around the room. Croconaw quickly joined her. Ash, Chikorita and Quilava smiled, enjoying the show that Croconaw and Bellossom put on.

And that's a wrap for this chapter. Interesting that Ash starts his Johto journey with all three starter Pokemon instead of just one huh? A little heads up for you. There will be wild Pokemon that Ash will catch without incident. But there will be others that he has to battle first. Moving right along, preview for Chapter 5: Chance Encounters: While on the way to Azalea Town, Ash takes a slight detour into the Ruins of Alph, encountering the Unown. When he gets to the Azalea Town gym, a brief reunion takes place, although he doesn't know it. Who does Ash meet up with again? If you're guessing, stay tuned to see if you're right.


	5. Chance Encounters

Recap: After two years of living on an island, Ash and the six Pokemon who chose to be with him went to New Bark Town. There, Ash became officially registered as a Pokemon Trainer. When it came to choosing from the starter Pokemon, there was no choosing because all three starters went with Ash. On his way to Violet City, he met a rather rude redhead. When at the Sprout Tower, Ash met the kid again, learning the kid's name. After defeating the sages of the Sprout Tower, he headed for the gym. In a very impressive battle, he came out the victor.  
( ) after Pokemon talk is the translation  
_Italic words_ is psychic speech  
/ is Ash mental conversation with Lugia and/or Charizard  
_/Italic words/ _is Lugia and/or Charizard mental conversation with Ash  
(' is Pokemon thoughts  
' is human thoughts

Chapter 5: Chance Encounters

It was currently mid morning now. Ash had finished breakfast and was ready to leave the Pokemon Center. The events from yesterday were still fresh on his mind. He had gone to New Bark Town to become an official Pokemon Trainer. In a unique twist of fate, he had left with all of the starter Pokemon instead of just one because all three wanted to go with him.

Upon leaving Professor Elm's lab, he had met a possible rival. Upon leaving Cherrygrove City, he had a series of trainer battles, which gave his three new Pokemon a fair amount of experience. When he got to Violet City, he went to test his training skills against the sages of the Sprout Tower. His Cyndaquil evolved after all was said and done. Then came the awaited battle between Ash and Falkner, the Violet City Gym Leader. In a very impressive battle, Ash had come out the victor.

"Can you tell me how to reach Azalea Town Nurse Joy?" Ash asked.

"Sure. You have to take Route 32 to Union Cave. You'll exit at Route 33. Azalea Town is just on the other side of Route 33," Nurse Joy responded.

"Thanks," Ash said before leaving the Pokemon Center.

_/The Ruins of Alph are along the way/ _Lugia said.

/The Ruins of Alph?/

_/Yes, it's where Pokemon called Unown dwell/_ Lugia responded.

/What are Unown?/

_/They are very unique Pokemon. You'll know what I mean when you see one/ _Lugia responded.

/Sounds good to me/ Ash said. Five minutes later, he was on Route 32. He noticed what looked like a large chamber. 'Well I might as well go inside,' he thought before entering the ruins. He had let all his Pokemon out of their balls, wanting them to see the unique Pokemon as well.

Only a few minutes later, a large group of Unown had circled around him. He saw what Lugia meant by the Unown being unique. They looked like letters of the English alphabet.

"Unown (Hello)," the Unown said.

"Hi," Ash said.

"Unown un unown (You're a special one)," the Unown said.

"That's what almost everyone I've come across told me so far," Ash said.

_"Well, they're absolutely right. I knew that there was something special about you the moment I saw you," _Lugia said.

Then an Unown that looked like an A and one that looked like an N stopped about six inches in front of Ash. They wanted to go with him. "Un unown un unown (May we go along with you)?" they asked.

"If that is what you want, then so be it," Ash responded before throwing two empty Poke Balls at the Unown.

The Unown were caught without a struggle. Then Ash and his Pokemon bid the remaining Unown goodbye. Then Ash returned the rest of his Pokemon and left the ruins of Alph, continuing on toward Union Cave. He had battled more trainers along the way. After about the fourth trainer battle, Chikorita had evolved into Bayleef. An hour later, Ash had reached a Pokemon Center that was conveniently located close to Union Cave's entrance. He went to have his Pokemon healed. He also rested for an hour before heading into Union Cave. He had gone through additional trainer battles in Union Cave. An hour later, he had reached the exit of the cave. Upon entering Azalea Town, he saw a man dressed in a black uniform with a large red R on the shirt standing in front of a well.

'Why is he guarding a well? I don't understand that one,' Ash thought. He shrugged and headed for the Pokemon Center to have his Pokemon rested. About ten minutes later, he headed towards the gym. Upon entering, he saw a boy with spiky red hair battling with a boy that looked around Ash's age. "I wonder who he is?" Ash wondered out loud.

Several minutes later, the battle was over. The spiky-haired boy had come out the victor. The boy around Ash's age then gave the spiky-haired boy a badge, completely shocking Ash.

"That was a good battle. You train your Pokemon very well," the young boy said.

"Thanks Bugsy," the spiky-haired boy said.

'So that's the Gym Leader's name,' Ash thought.

Then the spiky-haired boy headed out of the gym. He stopped upon seeing Ash. "Hello, I don't think we've met before. My name is Gary," he said, holding out his hand.

"Hi. I'm Ash," Ash said, holding out his hand as well.

Gary then looked Ash over. Something told him that he did know the boy in front of him.

"Is something wrong?" Ash asked.

"Oh, it's just like you look so much like my neighbor," Gary responded.

"I do?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. He's been presumed dead two years ago because no one could find his body. After pirates had made off with him after robbing a cruise ship that he and I were on, the pirate ship was destroyed in a whirlpool. No bodies have been found to this day," Gary responded.

"Well your neighbor could still be alive," Ash said.

"That's what I've been hoping for these past two years," Gary said. "Well, I hope we see each other again. Farewell for now," he added before leaving the gym.

Then Bugsy came up to Ash. "You're here to challenge me for a badge correct?" he asked.

"Yes," Ash responded with a nod.

"Let me get my Pokemon healed and then we'll start the battle," Bugsy said.

"Okay," Ash said.

Bugsy headed off to the Pokemon Center. He came back fifteen minutes later. Okay, I'm ready," he said before getting on one side of the battlefield.

Ash took the other side of the battlefield. "How many Pokemon will we be battling?" he asked.

"We will use three Pokemon each," Bugsy responded.

"Okay," Ash said.

"I'll choose first, and I choose Kakuna," Bugsy said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Let's do this Croconaw!" Ash said, releasing Croconaw.

"Croco (I'm ready)," Croconaw said.

"Kakuna, use Poison Sting!" Bugsy said.

Kakuna fired the poisonous needles towards Croconaw.

"Dodge that Croconaw!" Ash said.

Croconaw jumped, avoiding the attack.

"Now Croconaw use Water Gun!" Ash said.

Croconaw fired off the Water Gun.

Harden yourself Kakuna!" Bugsy countered.

Kakuna used Harden. The Water Gun made impact, but it didn't affect Kakuna that much since it hardened itself.

"We have a counter for Harden. Use Leer Croconaw!" Ash said.

Croconaw complied, bringing Kakuna's defense down.

"Keep the Leer going and use Water Gun!" Ash said.

While still performing Leer, Croconaw fired a Water Gun at Kakuna. Kakuna tried to use Harden, but Croconaw's Leer was too much for it. When the Water Gun hit, Kakuna went flying into a wall. The referee went to check on it and saw that it didn't look like it would be getting up anytime soon.

"Kakuna is unable to battle. Victory to green trainer," the referee said.

"Kakuna return," Bugsy said, returning his fallen Pokemon. "You did your best," he added. "Now I choose Metapod!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Metapod (Let's battle)!" Metapod said.

"Are you holding up okay Croconaw?" Ash asked.

Croconaw nodded, ready to face Metapod.

"Okay then. Use Water Gun!" Ash said.

Croconaw fired a Water Gun at Metapod.

"Use Harden then String Shot!" Bugsy countered.

Metapod didn't suffer too much damage when the Water Gun struck. Then it fired off the String Shot. Croconaw was soon entangled and couldn't move very much.

"Now Tackle it!" Bugsy said.

Metapod came charging at Croconaw. Croconaw was helpless and suffered a direct hit. The tackle had knocked Croconaw free of the String Shot. But it also knocked him out of commission because getting tackled by a hardened Metapod was like running full steam into a steel wall.

"Croconaw is unable to battle. Victory goes to Bugsy," the referee said.

Ash then returned Croconaw. "You did great Croconaw," he said before choosing another Pokemon. "Okay Bayleef, it's your turn!" Ash said, releasing Bayleef.

"Bay bay bay (I'll do my best)," Bayleef said.

"Metapod use String Shot again!" Bugsy said.

"Metapod (You're tied)!" Metapod said, firing the attack.

"Not this time. Cut it down with Razor Leaf Bayleef!" Ash countered.

"Bay (Right)," Bayleef said before firing razor sharp leaves form the large leaf on her head.

The String Shot was dissected in the Razor Leaf attack. Metapod did get hit by some but wasn't affected that much.

"Harden yourself Metapod!" Bugsy said.

Metapod used Harden, bringing up its defense.

"Bayleef, use your Sweet Scent!" Ash said.

Bayleef gave Metapod a dose of her Sweet Scent. Metapod relaxed in the pleasant aroma, leaving it vulnerable.

"Now Bayleef, use Vine Whip!" Ash said.

Bayleef lashed out with her vines, striking Metapod as hard as he could.

"Metapod (Ouch)!" Metapod cried in pain.

Then Bayleef wrapped her vines around Metapod before slamming it to the ground. Metapod looked just about done in at this point.

"All right Bayleef. Finish the job with Body Slam!" Ash said.

Bayleef used her vines to spring into the air above Metapod. Then she came down on it hard. Metapod fainted soon afterwards. Then Bayleef got off of Metapod and went back over to her side of the field.

"Metapod is unable to battle. Bayleef is the winner," the referee said.

"Great job Bayleef," Ash said.

"Bay (Yay)!" Bayleef said happily.

"Nice try Metapod," Bugsy said, returning Metapod. "You really are a good trainer. But Gary was barely able to be my last Pokemon so get ready. Scyther, let's win this!" he added, releasing Scyther.

"Scyther scy (Ready to battle)!" Scyther said; it's sword-like claws crossed in front of it.

"Start with Quick Attack!" Bugsy said.

Scyther came at Bayleef very fast. Bayleef barely knew what hit her as Scyther made impact. She was knocked down but was able to get back up.

"Use Razor Leaf!" Ash said.

Bayleef fired off her leaves.

"Cut them up with Fury Cutter!" Bugsy countered.

Scyther became a blur as it cut all the leaves to shreds.

"That was pretty good I have to admit," Ash said.

"You haven't seen anything yet. Scyther surround Bayleef with Double Team and Agility!" Bugsy said.

Scyther split itself into many and used Agility to circle around Bayleef. Bayleef looked around in confusion.

"Now use Fury Cutter!" Bugsy said.

Scyther and its copies came towards Bayleef.

"Bayleef, encircle yourself with your Vine Whip!" Ash said.

Bayleef stretched out her vines and slowly turned in place. Unfortunately, she couldn't hit the real Scyther because it had actually followed her vines around. Soon, the real Scyther had attacked. A few minutes later, Bayleef had fainted.

"Bayleef is unable to battle. Victory goes to Bugsy," the referee said.

"You did great Bayleef," Ash said, returning his fallen Pokemon. "This battle is about to heat up. Come on out Quilava!" he added, releasing Quilava.

"Quilava quil (This Pokemon's toast)!" Quilava said.

"Scyther use Quick Attack!" Bugsy said.

"Scy scyther (You're getting cut down)!" Scyther said, charging for Quilava.

"Turn up the heat Quilava!" Ash said.

Quilava ignited the flames on her head and rear. Then she quickly turned so her back was facing Scyther. Scyther couldn't stop in time and ran straight into the flames.

"Scyther, scyther (It burns, it burns)!" Scyther screamed in pain.

"Get out of there with Double Team!" Bugsy said.

Scyther jumped out of the way before using Double Team.

"Now use Swords Dance!" Bugsy said.

Scyther and its copies peformed a Swords Dance.

"Now use Fury Cutter. Make sure to watch where you aim!" Bugsy said.

"Scyther (You're done)!" Scyther said as it and its copies charged for Quilava.

Ash simply smiled to himself. 'Scyther is about to get a big surprise,' he thought. "Concentrate to find the real one. Then use Flame Wheel!" he said.

Quilava closed her eyes. She did an about face before opening her eyes and curling in on herself. Then she rolled towards the real Scyther, now looking like a fiery wheel. The fake Scyther disappeared as the real one was struck.

"Scy (Aaaaahhhhh)!" Scyther screamed in pain.

"Finish the job with Flamethrower!" Ash said.

"Quilava quil (You're the one who's done)!" Quilava said, unleashing the Flamethrower.

Scyther is unable to battle. Quilava is the winner. Green trainer wins this match," the referee said.

"We did it Quilava," Ash said.

"Quilava (We sure did)," Quilava said as Ash walked over and petted her. "Quilava (That feels good)," she added contently.

Bugsy returned his fallen Pokemon and walked over to Ash. "That was a match that I will never forget. You and your Pokemon work exceptionally well together," he said.

"Thanks Bugsy," Ash said.

"To commemorate your victory over me, I present the Hive Badge to you," Bugsy said, holding out the badge.

"Thanks," Ash said, taking the badge.

"This TM is also yours. You could teach your Pokemon how do do Fury Cutter with it," Bugsy said, holding out the TM.

"Thanks," Ash said, taking the TM.

"By the way, I didn't catch your name," Bugsy said.

"My name is Ash," Ash said.

"Well Ash, good luck on your journey," Bugsy said.

"Thanks," Ash said before he and Quilava left the gym. Then he headed for the Pokemon Center. He returned Quilava before getting his Pokemon rested and refreshed. Then he left. He went towards the well and saw that there was no one in front of it anymore. "I'm getting the feeling that I should check it out," he said.

_/I sense something amiss going on down there/_ Lugia said.

After hearing that, Ash decided to investigate. He let Bayleef out of her ball. "Can you use your Vine Whip to help me down the well?" he asked.

"Bay (Of course)," Bayleef responded with a nod. She then wrapped her vines around Ash's midsection. She lifted Ash over the well before gently lowering him.

The well was pretty deep. Bayleef had lowered Ash as far as she could, but he still wasn't on the bottom yet. But the area had widened out considerably so he released Charizard. Charizard soon had Ash Bridal style.

_"You can let go now Bayleef. I've got him," _Charizard said.

Bayleef released her grip on Ash before retracting her vines. Then Charizard landed and put Ash down before using Teleport to reappear next to Bayleef. Then Charizard touched Bayleef before using Teleport again to reappear next to Ash. Then Ash returned Bayleef and Charizard. He then heard a painful groan from behind him. He turned around and headed in the voice's direction. Five minutes later, he saw a man nursing his ankle.

"Are you okay and who are you?" Ash asked.

"My name is Kurt. I'm okay except for a twisted ankle," the man responded.

"How did you get down here anyway?" Ash asked.

"An organization called Team Rocket came and stole every Slowpoke in the town. I wanted to save them. But I ended up falling down the well. I'm very surprised and thankful that a twisted ankle was my only injury," the man said.

"Slowpoke?" Ash asked.

"Yes. Azalea Town is famous for Slowpoke. Before Team Rocket came, Slowpoke roamed free through the town," Kurt responded.

"Why do they want the Slowpoke for?" Ash asked.

"They want the Slowpoke for their tails. To some people, a Slowpoke's tail is a delicacy," Kurt responded.

Ash felt his stomach churn at that response. "We need to help the Slowpoke then," Ash said.

"Well I can't do much because my ankle is really bothering me," Kurt said.

"Okay," Ash said before releasing Bellossom. "Stay here and protect Kurt," he added.

"Bell (Okay)," Bellossom said.

Then Ash headed further down the well. Five minutes later, he had confronted the one that he saw in front of the well.

"What do you want kid?" the Rocket grunt asked.

"I'm here to help the Slowpoke," Ash responded.

"Oh yeah? Just try to beat me," the grun said before releasing a Zubat.

"I don't have time to fool around with you so I'll make this quick. Lapras, Ice Beam!" Ash said, releasing Lapras.

Lapras had fired an Ice Beam the moment she materialized. Zubat didn't stand a chance and was soon completely frozen. The Rocket grunt then lunged for Ash. But Lapras sang the grunt to sleep.

"Great thinking Lapras. Why not just sing all of those guys to sleep?" Ash said.

Lapras smiled before using Sing on the remaining grunts.

"Well done!" Kurt said, limping gently as he could. He then checked up on the Slowpoke.

"Are you sure you should be walking?" Ash asked in concern.

"I wanted to check on the Slowpoke," Kurt responded.

"How are they?" Ash asked.

"They're just fine. Their tails are starting to grow back. We should get out of this well," Kurt responded.

Ash nodded before returning Lapras and Bellossom. Then he released the Unown. "Can you teleport us out of here?" he asked.

"Unown (Certainly)," "A" and "N" responded before teleporting Ash, Kurt and the Slowpoke out of the well.

The Slowpoke then went to their favorite hang out spots. The townsfolk were overjoyed to see the Slowpoke roaming around again.

"Things are back to normal now thanks to you," Kurt said.

"It was nothing," Ash said.

"But I still feel that I should repay you for what you have done. Come with me," Kurt said, heading towards his home.

Ash followed Kurt. When they were inside, Kurt gave Ash three Fast Balls.

"What are these? They look different from regular Poke Balls," Ash aid.

"Those are Fast Balls. You can use them to catch speedy Pokemon like Pidgeot, Pikachu or maybe even Entei, Suicune or Raikou," Kurt said.

"Entei, Suicune and Raikou?" Ash asked with interest.

"Yeah, they are legendary Pokemon. But they are very fast. Some people have only gotten glimpses of them. I happened to see Suicune one day. It was quite strange really. It was as if Suicune was looking for something," Kurt responded.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"It had basically started off into the distance. I think that it's looking for a worthy trainer. From what I've witnessed about you, you just might be that trainer," Kurt responded before he and Ash headed outside.

Unknown to Ash or Kurt, Suicune was nearby. Suicune was actually just passing through when he spotted Ash. Suicune could sense something very special about the trainer before him. ('Could this be the trainer that I've been looking for?') he thought.

Uknown to him, two more Pokemon wondered the same thing. Entei and Raikou had also just happened to be passing through. They had spotted Suicune and were wondering what he was looking at. Upon seeing the trainer that Suicune looked at, they also sensed something very special about the trainer. Then Entei, Suicune and Raikou went off in different directions, all hoping to see Ash again.

"Well the next gym is in Goldenrod City. You can get there by traveling through the Ilex Forest. Then it's just a walk up Route 34," Kurt said.

"Thanks Kurt," Ash said.

His Pokegear suddenly rang.

"I wonder who that is," Ash said before answering.

"Hello Ash. I just wanted to see how you were doing," Professor Elm said.

"Oh hi Professor," Ash said before telling him what has happened so far.

"You are a special trainer indeed. Well, good luck at Goldenrod," Professor Elm said.

"Thanks Professor. Bye," Ash said before hanging up. He then headed towards the entrance gatehouse to the Ilex Forest.

"Don't go any further!" a voice rudely shouted.

Ash turned around to see Alex approaching. "Here comes the jerk," he muttered dryly to himself. "What do you want?" he asked dryly.

"I can't believe that you were able to defeat Team Rocket. They must be pretty wimpy then," Alex responded.

"If that's all you wanted then I'll be on my way," Ash said.

"Not so fast. I demand a Pokemon battle," Alex said.

_/Ooh boy! This kid's asking for it/_ Lugia said.

/You got that right Lugia/

"We'll use one Pokemon each," Alex said.

"Fine by me," Ash said.

"I choose Bayleef!" Alex said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"So you got a Chikorita for a starter and managed to evolve it. Fine then, I'll use a grass Pokemon as well," Ash said.

"Your Bayleef wouldn't stand a chance against mine," Alex said.

Ash could feel Bayleef's ball shaking violently in anger. He gently put his hand on the ball, calming the very angry Pokemon inside. "Don't worry Bayleef. He won't get away with that insulting remark," he whispered. "Who said I meant Bayleef? As much as I would love to have her make you eat your words, I'll let my other grass Pokemon do it. Bellossom, let's rumble!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Bellossom bell bellossom (You'll pay for insulting our friend)," Bellossom said.

"Ha, and what could a wimpy Pokemon like that do?" Alex asked smirking.

"Bellossom bell (Wimpy little Pokemon)?!" Bellossom exclaimed angrily.

The other Poke Balls on Ash's belt were shaking violently, expressing their anger as well.

_/He's going to pay for that snide remark!/ _Lugia said angrily.

_/Ooooh, let me have a shot at him!/ _Charizard said just as angrily.

"That's it! No one insults my Pokemon and gets away with it! Bellossom, show no mercy. Use Solarbeam!" Ash said angrily. 'This will wipe that smirk clean off his face,' he secretly added.

"What?!" Alex exclaimed in shock.

Bellossom gathered solar energy through the flowers on her head. A few minutes later, she fired not one, but twin Solarbeam attacks. Bayleef went down for the count as soon as the attack made impact. Alex was still in shock upon what happened but was able to return Bayleef.

Ash was the one smirking now. "What was that about Bellossom being a 'wimpy little Pokemon'?" he asked slyly.

"Bell, bellossom bello (Yeah, what what that ya jerk)?" Bellossom asked just as slyly.

The rest of Ash's Pokemon were also smirking, although it couldn't be seen because they were in their balls.

Alex regained his composure. "You just got lucky. The next time we meet, I will beat you," he said before storming off.

"He's a rude one isn't he?" Kurt asked. He had seen the confrontation. 'I don't blame Ash. I would've reacted the same way if someone were to insult my Pokemon like that,' he thought.

"Yeah and he needs to get his attitude checked. He's just asking for someone to knock him out. And frankly, I don't care if the someone ends up being me," Ash responded.

"Well, safe journeys," Kurt said before going back inside his house.

Ash and Bellossom then headed into the Ilex Forest.

"I wonder what kind of Pokemon we'll see here," Ash said.

Unknown to him, a very special Pokemon lurked in this forest. This Pokemon was the legendary Celebi. She was actually about to leave when she felt Ash's presence. ('I sense something extraordinary about the trainer that just entered. And I suddenly feel that my destiny is to be with this trainer') she thought. She concealed herself inside a time warp for now, ready and waiting to reveal herself when Ash came to the shrine dedicated to her.

Well that's a wrap here. The chance encounters aren't over just yet. Preview for Chapter 6: More Chance Encounters: While in the Ilex Forest, Ash encounters Celebi. But in Goldenrod, Ash unknowingly has another brief reunion. Who does he reunite with this time? If you're guessing, you know the drill.

For those of you who guessed that Ash would see Gary in Azalea Town, you were absolutely right. 


	6. More Chance Encounters

Recap: After defeating Falkner, Ash spent the rest of the day in the Pokemon Center. The next day, he started towards Azalea Town but took a little detour into the Ruins of Alph. There he and his Pokemon encountered the Unown. He left with two of the Unown. In Azalea Town, he ended up reuniting with his neighbor Gary Oak, although he was unaware of it. Then Ash defeated the Gym Leader in a thrilling match and helped rescue all the Slowpoke in the town. Now he's on his way to Goldenrod City.  
( ) after Pokemon talk is the translation  
_Italic words is psychic speech  
_/ is Ash mental conversation wtih Lugia and/or Charizard  
_/Italic words/ _is Lugia and/or Charizard mental conversation with Ash  
(' is Pokemon thoughts  
' is human thoughts

Chapter 6: More Chance Encounters

Ash and Bellossom were in the Ilex Forest.

"Farfetch'd, where are you?" a voice suddenly asked.

"Let's go check it out Bellossom. It sounds like someone lost something," Ash said.

"Bell (Right)," Bellossom said. Soon she and Ash came up to a boy about Ash's age.

"What happened?" Ash asked.

"My Farfetch'd ran away. I was trying to get it to cut some wood to make charcoal. But I kept getting the name of the attack wrong and Farfetch'd ran off. Can you please find it for me?" the boy responded.

"Sure. Let's go Bellossom," Ash said.

Bellossom nodded, and they went looking for the runaway Farfetch'd. They soon found it, but it ran off again before they could get near it. After the wild goose chase was over, Farfetch'd had ended up back with its trainer. There was also an older man with the young boy.

"Whew, your Farfetch'd really knows how to get away from someone," Ash said.

"Thank you for leading it here. My son here wants to be a Pokemon Trainer. But Farfetch'd takes it pretty hard when he can't get attacks' names right," the man said.

"Well keep at it. You'll get it," Ash told the boy.

"I will," the boy said.

"I'm sure that you want to continue on your journey. Before you go, here's two pieces of charcoal. It's our way of saying thanks for helping Farfetch'd back here," the man said.

"What do these do?" Ash asked.

"Charcoal increases the strength of fire attacks," the man responded.

"And I have two Pokemon on me that will put good use to it," Ash said before putting the charcoal in his bag. The he and Bellossom continued on.

About half an hour later, they came to a shrine. Bellossom was very attracted to it for some reason. Bayleef had come out of her ball and bowed before the shrine as well.

"Are you saying that there's something here?" Ash asked.

Bellossom and Bayleef nodded. Seconds later, Celebi appeared.

"Waaaaah!" Ash screamed upon Celebi's sudden appearance, falling over backwards as well.

Celebi laughed a little upon seeing the surprised expression on Ash's face. Bayleef helped Ash up with her Vine Whip. Then Lugia came out of his ball to address Celebi.

_"Long time no see. How have you been?" _Lugia said.

"You know this Pokemon?" Ash asked in awe.

_"Yes. This is Celebi. She is a grass/psychic Pokemon. You never know when you'll see a Celebi because Celebi are time-traveling Pokemon," _Lugia responded.

"Time travel?" Ash asked.

_"Yes. That means that she can travel into the past or future whenever she wishes," _Lugia responded.

Bi bi bibi (I've been fine for the most part)," Celebi said.

"It must be cool to travel through time," Ash said.

"Bi bi bi bi. Bi bi bi bi bi (Sometimes it can be very fun. But sometimes it can be pretty dangerous as well)," Celebi said.

"Oh," Ash said.

_"I'm sure that why you're here has something to do with Ash here am I correct?" _Lugia asked.

"Bi (Yes)," Celebi responded with a nod. "Bi bibi bi bibi bi. Bi bibi bi bibi bi bi (I was about to travel through time when I sensed Ash's presence here. I suddenly felt that my destiny is with him)," she added.

_"So you're saying that you want to be one of his Pokemon?" _Lugia asked.

"Bi (Yes)," Celebi responded nodding.

"If that's what you want. then so be it," Ash said before throwing an empty Poke Ball at Celebi.

Celebi was caught with ease. Then Ash returned Bellossom, Bayleef and Lugia before continuing on. About fifteen minutes later, he was out of the forest and on Route 34. He went through several trainer battles along the way. Ten minutes later, he had reached Goldenrod City. First, he had his Pokemon rested at the Pokemon Center. Then he headed for the gym.

"You must be new here huh?" a female voice suddenly asked.

Ash looked ahead and saw a middle-aged woman standing in front of him. "Yes I am. Can you tell me where the gym is?" he said.

"It's about three blocks up the road," the woman said. "But before you face Whitney, why don't you check out the Radio Tower. It's a couple of blocks up the road. You can get a radio card if you have Pokegear. That way, you can listen to music while you travel," she added.

"Great! Thanks," Ash said before heading towards the Radio Tower. Upon arriving and entering, he saw an elderly man wearing a lab coat talking to a man that looked like some kind of director. 'I wonder who the man in the lab coat is,' he thought.

"So how are things going in Pallet Town?" the director asked.

"Things are going just fine. I've been pretty busy lately. I almost wasn't able to make it here today," the man said.

Then the director noticed Ash. "Ah, we have a young visitor," he said.

The man in the lab coat turned around and saw the trainer. 'This must be the Ash that Gary told me about. Gary was right. This boy does look a lot like our still missing neighbor,' he thought. He then went over to Ash. "Hello, you must be Ash," the man said.

Ash was taken back. "How do you know me?" he asked.

"My grandson Gary told me about his meeting with you," the man responded. "My name is Professor Oak," he added.

"Well then nice to meet you Professor," Ash said, holding out his hand.

Professor Oak held out his hand as well, and they shook in greeting.

"So what brings you here?" the director asked.

"I was hoping to maybe get a radio card for my Pokegear," Ash responded.

"That's no problem. Just go to the receptionist right over there. She'll help you out," the director said.

Ash went over to the receptionist. Several minutes later, he had received the radio card. Then the receptionist showed him how to put the card in the Pokegear.

"Now you can listen to all the stations here in Johto whenever you want," the receptionist said.

"Great," Ash said before leaving the Radio Tower. Then he decided to head to the mall to do some shopping. He had acquired quite a bit of money from all the trainer battles he won. An hour later, he had come out of the mall weith several pairs of pajamas, a couple more outfits to wear and some Pokemon supplies. Then he headed for the gym. He arrived about five minutes later. Upon entering, he couldn't help but notice that there were mostly women in the gym.

One of the women saw him. "Hello. You must be here to challenge the Gym Leader," she said.

"Yes I am," Ash said.

"Well Whitney's not here right now. She'll be back in an hour. You can wait in the lounge if you want," the woman said.

"Okay," Ash said before being led to the lounge.

"One of us will come and get you when Whitney returns," the woman said.

"All right," Ash said before letting out Bellossom, Croconaw, Bayleef and Quilava.

The woman went starry-eyed upon seeing Bellossom. "Oh, what a cute little Pokemon you have there. It looks very healthy and very strong too," she said, heading over towards Bellossom. She gently scratched Bellossom's head, Bellossom leaning into the scratch while blushing at being called cute.

"Thank you," Ash said.

Then the woman gave the other Pokemon a scratch before heading back out into the gym. Then Bellossom began to dance again. This time, Ash joined her while his other Pokemon watched. Watching Bellossom and Ash dance was really a sight to behold. They moved in perfect harmony. That was because Bellossom had taught Ash to dance like her while they were on the island. With continued practice, Ash had become just as good as Bellossom.

"Croconaw croc (The way they dance is awesome)," Croconaw said.

"Bay/Lava (Yeah)," Bayleef and Quilava said.

Ash and Bellossom were so into their routine that they lost all track of time. When one of the women had come to tell Ash that Whitney was ready for him, she ended up just watching Ash and Bellossom dance. Whitney had then come into the room and ended up sitting down and watching the dance herself.

An hour later, Ash and Bellossom decided to call it quits for now, even though they really could've gone on longer. Then clapping reached their ears. They looked around to see every oen of the women in the room with them. They also noticed a light-skinned woman with red hair in the room as well, figuring that she must be Whitney.

"That was extraordinary. I've seen people dance with Pokemon before, but you and your Bellossom were in total sync. Every move was flawless," Whitney said.

"Well Bellossom helped me out a lot," Ash said as Bellossom nodded.

"So are you ready to battle?" Whitney asked.

"I sure am," Ash responded, returning Bellossom, Bayleef, Quilava and Croconaw.

Whitney then led him to the battlefield. She got on one side and Ash got on the other. "By the way, what's your name?" she asked.

"My name is Ash," Ash responded.

"Well Ash, we will use two Pokemon each in this battle," Whitney said.

"Okay," Ash said.

"I choose Clefairy!" Whitney said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"I choose Quilava!" Ash said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Clefairy, use Attract!" Whitney said.

_/She's going to be in for a big surprise. Attract is only good on Pokemon that are of the opposite gender of the Pokemon using it/ _Lugia said.

/Great! That means that Quilava won't be affected because Clefairy is also female/

_/That's right/ _Lugia said.

Quilava was indeed not affected. "Quilava quil (What was that supposed to do)?" she asked.

"I guess it was supposed to make you fall in love with Clefairy or something," Ash responded, seeing the grossed out expression on Quilava's face afterwards.

"Quilava (I don't think so)!" Quilava said.

"So your Quilava is female. I guess we won't have an easy battle this time Clefairy. That's okay though. Use Metronome!" Whitney said.

Clefairy waved her pointer fingers from side to side.

_/Be on your guard Ash. The attack that follows a Metronome is totally random/_ Charizard said.

Several minutes later, Clefairy's Metronome had resulted in a Hydro Pump attack.

Get out of there with Agility!" Ash said.

Quilava quickly dashed out of the Hydro Pump's way.

"Now use Flame Wheel!" Ash said.

Quilava charged for Clefairy.

"Use Minimize!" Whitney said.

Clefairy made herself very small. Quilava ended up going harmlessly over her. Quilava stopped in her tracks, confused as to what happened.

"Use Swift!" Ash said.

Quilava fired off dozens of stars towards Clefairy. Even though Clefairy was still under the effect of Minimize, she suffered a direct hit to the Swift attack. Soon, the Minimize wore off. Clefairy was her normal size again.

"Use Metronome again!" Whitney said.

Clefairy waved her fingers from side to side again. Ash and Quilava watched anxiously, ready for whatever the attack would be. But they didn't have much to worry about. Clefairy started jumping up and down. Needless to say, Ash and Quilava were confused.

"Am I missing something?" Ash asked in confusion.

"Qui (Huh)?" Quilava asked in just as much confusion.

"Oh no! Clefairy's performing Splash. That was worse thing that could've happened," Whitney said worriedly.

Ash knew an opportunity when he heard one. "Use Flamethrower Quilava!" he said.

Quilava fired the attack at the very vulnerable Clefairy. Clefairy suffered a direct hit and went down for the count. The woman refereeing the match looked at Clefairy. It was clear that Clefairy would not be getting back up.

"Clefairy is unable to battle. Quilava wins," the referee said.

"Quilava (Oh yeah)!" Quilava said, doing a back flip.

"Nice job Quilava," Ash said.

Whitney returned her fallen Pokemon. "You did your best," she said before looking at Ash. "You're a pretty impressive trainer Ash," she added.

"Thanks," Ash said.

"Now get ready to face my strongest Pokemon. I choose Miltank!" she said, releasing the Pokemon.

Ash was impressed upon seeing Miltank. He could see that it indeed looked pretty strong. "Quilava, use Flamethrower!" he said.

"Miltank, use Rollout!" Whitney countered.

Miltank curled in on herself and rolled towards Quilava. The Flamethrower struck Miltank, but had no effect because Miltank was rolling.

"Quick, use Agility!" Ash said.

Quilava dashed out of Miltank's path. But Miltank simply turned and came back at Quilava. Caught completely off guard, Quilava suffered a direct hit. She was sent flying backwards. But Miltank wasn't done just yet. She had come at Quilava another time for good measure. Quilava was down for the count.

"Quilava is out. Miltank is the winner," the referee said.

Ash returned Quilava. "You did great Quilava," he said. "Now I choose Sandslash!" he added, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Slash (Ready)," Sandslash said.

"Don't waste your or Miltank's time with using Attrack because Sandslash is also female," Ash said.

"Thanks for the advice. So Miltank, use Rollout then!" Whitney said.

Miltank was soon rolling for Sandslash.

"Stop that Miltank with Earthquake!" Ash said.

Sandslash jumped up and came down hard, causing a tremor. The tremor was strong enough to stop Miltank in her tracks.

"Now conjure up a sandstorm!" Ash said.

Sandslash did just that. Miltank struggled to say upright. She also couldn't see Sandslash anymore.

"Use Rollout to get out of the sandstorm!" Whitney said.

"Use Earthquake to stop her!" Ash countered.

Sandslash created another tremor, knocking Miltank off her feet. Several seconds later, she felt something surface underneath her and was knocked backwards as Sandslash now stood there.

"You have Miltank on the ropes now Sandslash. Use Slash!" Ash said.

"Sand (Right)," Sandslash said, giving Miltank a devastating blow.

Miltank was knocked back more. But she was able to stagger back up. But she looked just about done it. But Whitney had an answer for that.

"Miltank use Milk Drink!" Whitney said.

Miltank drank her own milk, which ended up almost completely revitalizing her. But neither Whitney nor Miltank took the sandstorm into account. Because it still raged, it still affected Miltank.

"Well Sandslash, it's time to end this match. Use Sand Tomb!" Ash said.

Sandslash concentrated on the still raging sandstorm. The remaining sand compacted in the air. Then Sandslash dumped all the sand on top of Miltank. The air around Miltank became thick and heavy. Miltank passed out from lack of oxygen. Then Sandslash let up on her attack.

"Miltank is unable to battle. Sandslash wins. Victory goes to Ash," the referee said.

"You rock Sandslash!" Ash said.

"Slash (Thanks)," Sandslash said.

Whitney recalled her fainted Miltank. "You did great Miltank," she said. Then she looked at Ash. "That was an awesome battle. You're a great trainer," she said.

"Thanks Whitney," Ash said.

Then Whitney walked over to Ash. She then held out her hand, revealing a badge. "As proof of your win against me, the Plain Badge is yours," she said.

"Thanks," Ash said, taking the badge.

"Because you have a lot of female Pokemon, this TM could really help you in battles. Any Pokemon you give it to will learn Attract. I'll tell you this. Most of the matches I've had with trainers ended quickly because their Pokemon succumbed to my Pokemon's Attract," Whitney said, holding out the TM.

Ash took the TM from Whitney.

"While on your way to Ecruteak, maybe you can find the strange Pokemon that everyone has been talking about," Whitney said.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"There have been quite a few people who said that they came across a Pokemon that resembled a weird-looking tree between between Routes 35 and 37. What's even weirder is that the Pokemon hates water," Whitney said.

"I'll check it out," Ash said, returning Sandslash. Then he left. He made a pit stop by the Pokemon Center before heading towards Route 35. He had several trainer battles along the way and was soon on Route 37.

_/All trees should like water. Something doesn't add up/ _Charizard said.

_/Actually, it does/ _Lugia said.

/What do you mean?/

_/The Pokemon that people are referring to is a Sudowoodo/ _Lugia responded.

/Sudowoodo?/

_/Yes. It is actually a rock Pokemon even though it looks like a strange tree/_ Lugia responded.

/So that would make Sudowoodo a rock tree Pokemon/

_/I guess you could put it that way/ _Charizard said.

/Well maybe it's.../

_/Maybe it's what?/ _Lugia asked.

/I just saw it/

_/Where?/ _Charizard asked.

/Just up ahead, it's in between two trees/ He then walked over as quietly as he could.

Sudowoodo happened to turn around. It saw Ash and attacked with Rock Throw. Ash hit the dirt, the Rock Throw attack sailing over his head.

"If it's a fight you want, then a fight you'll get. Let's do this Croconaw!" Ash said, releasing Croconaw.

"Croconaw (You've got it)," Croconaw said.

"Croconaw, use Water Gun!" Ash said.

Croconaw fired a stream of water from his mouth. Sudowoodo panicked upon seeing the water and quickly ran out of the way.

"Now use Bubble," Ash said.

Croconaw fired off a barrage of bubbles. Sudowoodo couldn't completely evade this attack and suffered a semi-direct hit. It was semi-direct because half of the attack made impact with Sudowoodo. Then Sudowoodo came at Croconaw with a Low Kick. Croconaw quickly jumped to avoid the low blow.

"Nice reflexes Croconaw. Now use Scary Face!" Ash said.

Croconaw looked ready to take a bite out of Sudowoodo. Sudowoodo froze in fear at the look that Croconaw gave it. As if knowing what Ash's next words would be, Croconaw fired a Water Gun at the terrified Sudowoodo. Sudowoodo cried in pain as it suffered a direct hit. It soon fainted.

"Now I'm going to catch it. Poke Ball go!" Ash said, throwing an empty ball.

Sudowoodo was caught easily.

_/Nice one Ash/ _Lugia said.

/Thanks Lugia/ Then he returned Croconaw and continued on towards Ecruteak City. He listened to some band music on his Pokegear as he continued on his way.

Well here's the end of another chapter. Congrats to all those who guessed that Ash would meet up with Professor Oak. Ash has had several chance encounters so far. But a truly amazing encounter is yet to come. Preview for Chapter 7: A Legendary Encounter: Upon reaching the Ecruteack City Gym, Ash finds the door locked. Upon investigating the Burned Tower he has another unwanted run-in with Alex, which results in another battle. But after the battle, Ash literally drops in on the most extraordinary encounter of his life so far.

I won't be able to update at all next week because I will be on vacation in Las Vegas from tomorrow through July 6th. I actually have this story almost completed so I'll try to complete it while I'm there. 


	7. A Legendary Encounter

Recap: After the situation in Azalea Town, Ash continued towards Goldenrod City. While traveling through the Ilex Forest, he had an extraordinary encounter. The legendary Celebi appeared before him, joining his team after a brief discussion with him and Lugia. Upon going to the Radio Tower at Goldenrod, he unknowingly had a brief reunion with Professor Oak. After getting a radio card, he headed to the gym. After a delay, he won his 3rd badge. On his way to Ecruteak City, he had a battle with a wild Sudowoodo, successfully catching it.  
( ) after Pokemon talk is the translation  
_Italic words _is psychic speech  
/ is Ash mental conversation with Lugia and/or Charizard  
_/Italic words/ _is Lugia and/or Charizard mental conversation with Ash  
(' is Pokemon thoughts  
' is human thoughts

Chapter 7: A Legendary Encounter

Ash continued his way down Route 37 towards Ecruteak City. He had just experienced his firs non-trainer Pokemon battle in the Johto region, which resulted in him catching a Sudowoodo. He decided to train his Unown some more before facing Morty for his 4th badge. He had used his Unown in almost every trainer battle he was in since he caught them.

"Okay 'A', 'N', let's do some training!" Ash said, releasing his said Pokemon. Since they looked like letters, he decided to call them what they looked like.

Both Unown appeared from their Poke Balls. "Unown (We're ready)," they said.

"Okay, I want you to face off against each other. 'A', you can call your own shots. I'll direct 'N'," Ash said.

"Un (Okay)," "A" and "N" said.

"A" started off with Hidden Power, which resulted in a Razor Leaf. "N" quickly got out of the way.

"Good job 'N'. Now use your Hidden Power," Ash said.

"N" used its Hidden Power, which resulted in Shadow Ball. "A" didn't get out of the way fast enough and suffered a direct hit. "A" was knocked down but was able to get back up. Then it used Hidden Power again.

"Use Teleport 'N'," Ash said.

"N" disappeared, reappearing behind "A". "A" turned around only to take another dose of "N's" Hidden Power. Being hit the second time did it. "A" was down for the count.

"Good job 'N," Ash said before returning both his Pokemon. Then he went the rest of the way to Ecruteak. Half an hour later, he was in Ecruteak. He first went to the Pokemon Center to have his Sudowoodo, Croconaw and his Unown healed. After that, he headed to the gym, only to find the door locked.

Then one of the gym operatives came by. "You must be here to face the Gym Leader," she said.

"Yes I am," Ash said.

"Well he's actually in the Burned Tower right now," the gym operative said.

"What's that?" Ash asked.

"Well it was once known as the Tin Tower. But it was burned down many years ago when corrupt people tried to capture Ho-Oh," the gym operative responded.

"Ho-Oh?" Ash asked.

"Yes. Ho-Oh once dwelled here in Ecruteak. The tower was considered sacred many years ago because it was built as a roosting place for Ho-Oh. But that had all changed when corrupt people tried to use its power for their own foul purposes. Ho-Oh fled, burning down the tower down as well. Since then, another Tin Tower has been built in hopes that Ho-Oh woud finally return," the gym operative responded.

"Wow," was all Ash could say.

"I know," the gym operative said. "So maybe you should talk to Morty," she added.

"I will," Ash said. He saw the burned down tower in the distance and headed that way. Ten minutes later, he was inside the tower. He soon saw two men in the tower.

"One of the men had spiky white hair and the other had spiky brown hair. Ash approached the two men. The spiky white-haired man turned around and saw Ash coming. He noticed the Poke Belt around Ash's waist.

"I take it that you're here to challenge me," the man said.

"Yes," Ash said.

"I'm Morty. This man next to me is Eusine. He's a good friend of mine," the man said.

"How do you do?" Eusine asked, holding out his hand.

"I'm fine. My name's Ash," Ash responded, shaking Eusine's hand. He couldn't help feeling that he was being watched. Nor could he help the feeling that there was something else very special about this place.

"So Eusine, have you seen Suicune yet?" Morty asked.

"No I haven't. I've come across people who happened to get brief glimpses of it. I even happened to cross paths with Kurt, who said that he got a very good look at it. But I haven't been able to see it yet," Eusine responded.

"Why are you looking for Suicune?" Ash asked.

"Ever since I first heard about Suicune, I've always wanted to have a battle with one. But I haven't been able to cross paths with it," Eusine responded.

Ash suddenly felt a stronger urge to check the place out. He started walking around. He was soon out of Morty and Eusine's sight and hearing ranges when...

"Hold it!" a very familiar and annoying voice shouted.

"Speak of the devil," Ash muttered dryly, turning to face the approaching Alex. "What do you want this time?" he asked, very annoyed.

"If there are any legendary Pokemon here, I'm going to be the one to capture them," Alex responded.

Ash mentally smirked to himself. 'I already have Lugia, Unown and Celebi. I also consider my Charizard as a legendary Pokemon because she is quite literally the only Pokemon of her kind,' he thought. "Even if you did happen to come across a lengendary Pokemon, I doubt that it would want to have an obnoxious person like you train it," he said.

_/You got that right/ _Lugia said.

('Amen to that') Celebi and Unown thought.

Alex was infuriated. "You, me, two-on-two Pokemon Battle now," he said.

"You're asking to be trounced again? So be it then," Ash said.

Alex released a Golbat. Ash took out his Pokedex and got information on it.

"So a Golbat huh? Well I'll counter your Golbat with Lapras!" Ash said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Lapras (Ready for battle)," Lapras said.

"Golbat, use Supersonic!" Alex said.

Golbat fired the attack at Lapras.

"Lapras, head down quick!" Ash said.

Lapras put her head down as low as she could. It was enough because the attack passed harmlessly over her head.

"Now Lapras use Blizzard!" Ash said.

"Lap (Right)," Lapras said, firing the attack from her mouth.

Golbat couldn't do much as the attack pummeled it.

"Now finish it with Ice Beam!" Ash said.

Lapras fired the Ice Beam, freezing Golbat solid.

"Great job Lapras. Now return," Ash said, returning Lapras. "I'll give you a shot to beat me. Let's see if you can take advantage of it. I choose you Croconaw!" he added, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Croconaw croc (Let's trounce this guy)," Croconaw said.

"Ha, this should be easy. Come on out Bayleef," Alex said, releasing the said Pokemon.

Bayleef saw its opponent. ('Ha, I've got this one in the bag. This trainer will pay for humiliating me') it thought.

"Start off with Razor Leaf!" Alex said.

Bayleef fired off a barrage of leaves towards Croconaw.

"Use Water Gun on them!" Ash countered.

Croconaw did so. The leaves were blasted backwards.

"What?" Alex asked in shock.

"Why are you so surprised? Water can easily move leaves if its force is strong enough," Ash responded. "Now Croconaw, use Slash!" he added.

Croconaw came up to Bayleef before slashing it across its stomach.

"Bay (Aaaahhhhh)!" Bayleef cried in pain.

"Don't let a water Pokemon beat you Bayleef. Use Vine Whip!" Alex said.

Bayleef lashed out with its vines.

"Catch those vines Croconaw!" Ash said.

Croconaw caught one vine in each hand.

"Now Croconaw, finish it with Thunderbolt!" Ash said.

"What?!" Alex exclaimed in shock.

Croconaw smirked before sending the attack through Bayleef's vines. Although Bayleef was strong against electric attacks, it wasn't able to withstand this one because of how the attack was used. Seconds later, Bayleef fainted.

"That should be impossible. A water Pokemon can't learn electric attacks," Alex said incredulously.

"Yes it can. Many battles that Croconaw fought were against electric Pokemon. Instead of always being the victim to electric attacks, he and I wanted him to be able to do electric attacks as well. He was able to learn Thundershock, Thunderbolt, Thunder and Zap Cannon as a result. You'd be surprised to the number of different attacks a Pokemon can learn. Don't forget that," Ash said, returning Croconaw. Then he took a few steps forward.

A minute later, the ground beneath his feet started to crumble. Unfortunately, it wasn't too stable to begin with. Before he could react, a section of ground about 10' in diameter collapsed underneath him, sending him plummeting below. Charizard had released herself seconds after Ash fell through. Soon, she had him Bridal style.

"Thanks Charizard," Ash said.

_"You're welcome," _Charizard said. _"But where are we?" _she added upon landing and putting Ash down.

"It looks like a secret chamber of some sort," Ash responded.

"Cune (So we meet)," a voice suddenly said.

Ash and Charizard looked ahead and saw three Pokemon staring right at them. One Pokemon was brown and white with what looked like a red, yellow and white mask over its face. The Pokemon in the middle was blue and white with what looked to be a purple mane and the Pokemon on the right was yellow with black stripes with what appeared to be a white, aqua and navy blue mask over its face. Ash pointed his Pokedex at the three Pokemon.

"Entei, the volcano Pokemon. Entei is usually seen around volcanoes and can spit fire hotter than magma itself. Entei is believed to have perished when the first Tin Tower burned down but was revived by the legendary Ho-Oh. Suicune, the Aurora Pokemon. Suicune has the special ability to purify water, no matter how polluted it is.

It is believed that Suicune was also revived after perishing in the Burned Tower. Raikou, the thunder Pokemon. Raikou can shoot lightning from the cloud on its back. When it needs to recharge, it travels through thunderclouds. Like Entei and Suicune, Raikou is also believed to have been revived after the Burned Tower incident many years ago," the Pokedex said.

Then Lugia revealed himself. Entei, Suicune and Raikou were awestruck upon seeing that Lugia had chosen to be with Ash.

"Cune cune cune cune (So you've chosen this boy to be your trainer)," Suicune said.

_"I have," _Lugia said.

"Cune cune cune cune cune. Cune cune cune cune (I happened to see him while he was in Azalea. He is a very special one)," Suicune said, Entei and Raikou nodding.

_"So you two must've happened to see Ash as well," _Charizard said towards Entei and Raikou.

Entei and Raikou nodded.

"Cune cune cune. Cune cune cune, Cune cune cune (I hope we meet again. But if you want to capture us, you'll have to battle us first)," Suicune said.

"I look forward to it," Ash said.

Then Entei and Raikou bounded off in different directions. Suicune took one last look at Ash before bounding off himself.

_"Well Ash, it looks as though you'll have a chance to have more legendary Pokemon on your team," _Lugia said.

"Yes it does. But now I want to get out of here," Ash said.

_"Leave that to me," _Charizard said.

Ash returned Lugia. Then Charizard used Teleport. Ash and Charizard were soon in the first room of the Burned Tower again. Morty and Eusine were still there. They were awestruck upon seeing Charizard.

"Whoa! I've never seen a Charizard like yours before," Morty said.

"Neither have I. To see a Charizard alive despite not having a tail flame is quite extraordinary," Eusine said.

"That's because she truly is one of a kind," Ash said.

_"That's right," _Charizard said.

"Wow! She can talk too," Eusine said.

Then Charizard told them how she came to be. Morty was quite intrigued.

"So you were the result of a successful experiment in hopes of helping Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard everywhere and even had the legendary Mew experiment on you. Only to have Team Rocket ruin everything," Morty said.

_"Yes," _Charizard said.

Then Ash told Morty and Eusine about his amazing encounter. This time, Eusine was quite intrigued.

"So you happened to see not only Suicune, but Entei and Raikou as well," Eusine said.

"I sure did," Ash said.

"There is indeed someting special about you," Eusine said. "Well, I'm going to see if I can find Suicune. Bye for now," Eusine said before leaving.

"Well, I'm going to head back to the gym now. Come when you're ready," Morty said before heading out of the Burned Tower.

_"Well, we should head there too," _Charizard said.

"Yeah. Let's go," Ash said.

_"So do you know who you're going to use? Lugia told me that Morty trains ghost Pokemon, which 'A', 'N', Lugia, Celebi and I are at a disadvantage against. But Lugia also said that Morty's Pokemon are also of the poison type, which gives us somewhat of an advantage," _Charizard said.

"This is going to be an interesting match then," Ash said. He returned Charizard before heading towards the gym. 'I know that I will let 'N' battle. I don't think that it's time to show that I have Lugia and Celebi just yet. I guess that I'll use Charizard as well,' he thought. He soon entered the gym and saw Morty waiting for him. He took several steps forward but was suddenly back where he started. "What's going on here?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to mention that you have to figure out how to get to me before you can battle. As you just witnessed, you'll have to be wary of your steps. One wrong step, and you'll be back at the start," Morty responded.

"That's okay. We can't remember everything right?" Ash said.

('If only you knew') Lugia thought upon hearing that.

"Right. Well good luck," Morty said.

Ash started off very slowly. In going very slowly, as well as watching how the floor would react to his every step, he had actually figured out what every trainer before him did not. Certain parts of the floor glowed when stepped on while other parts of the floor didn't. Because he took things only a half step at a time, Ash knew where to complete the step and where not to. Morty was very impressed.

'He's figured it out. All of the trainers before him were in such a rush to get to me, that they didn't think to see how the floor would reach to their every step,' Morty thought in satisfaction.

A medium was there as well. She would be the referee for the match. She was very impressed herself. 'This young boy is able to figure things out very well. That will get him pretty far in this league,' she thought.

Ten minutes later, Ash made it to Morty. "Whew, that wasn't easy," he said.

"Actually, you did very well. All of the other trainers before you ended up taking a lot longer that you did. But you did the one thing that they did not, which was seeing how the floor would react to your every step. That alone really impressed me," Morty said before taking one side of the battlefield.

"I hope that I can impress you further," Ash said before taking the other side of the battlefield.

"We will use two Pokemon each for this match," Morty said.

"Okay," Ash said.

"I'll let you choose your Pokemon first," Morty said.

"Okay then. 'N', you're up," Ash said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Unown (I'm ready)," "N" said.

"Wow. You've captured an Unown," Morty said.

"Actually, I have two," Ash said.

"You really are a special trainer then. I could sense something different about you the moment you came in," the medium said.

"I choose Haunter!" Morty said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Haunter (Let's Battle)," Haunter said.

"Haunter, use Shadow Ball!" Morty said.

"'N', use Teleport!" Ash said.

"N" disappeared for a brief moment, reappearing in the same spot afterwards.

"Now, use Hidden Power!" Ash said.

"N" complied, sending a Shadow Ball towards Haunter.

"Intriguing I must say. Haunter, through the floor!" Morty said.

Haunter passed through the ground. The attack sailed harmlessly over it. Haunter then came up behind "N".

"Now use Lick!" Morty said.

Haunter gave "N" a big, sloppy lick. "N" was somewhat paralyzed afterwards.

"Now follow it up with Shadow Ball!" Morty said.

Haunter fired the attack. "N" couldn't get out of the way and was struck directly. "N" fell down. It struggled and was able to float in the air again.

"Time to fix the paralysis problem. Use Refresh!" Ash said.

"N" did so, effectively getting rid of its paralysis.

"Now use Confusion!" Ash said.

"N" did so. Haunter was the one who couldn't move now.

"Now slam it to the ground while it's still solid!" Ash said.

"N" complied, dealing Haunter more damage than the Confusion alone did.

"It looks like it's time for a stealth move Haunter. Use Shadow Punch!" Morty said.

Haunter became invisible and approached "N" with its now closed fist rearead back. Because neither Ash nor "N" could see where Haunter actually was, "N" wouldn't be able to react in time. Haunter soon appeared right in front of "N" before giving "N" a wallop of a shadowy punch. "N" was knocked to the ground. This time, it would not get back up.

"'N' is no longer able to battle. Victory to Haunter," the medium said.

"You gave it a good try 'N'," Ash said, returning it.

"I must say. I was very impressed. 'N' held out longer than many other Pokemon before it. Haunter took out many other trainer's Pokemon with only one strike. Only few have been able to defeat it," Morty said.

"Well I hope to be one of the few that does defeat it. Let's do this Charizard!" Ash said, releasing the said Pokemon.

_"Let's beat this ghost," _Charizard said.

"Be on your guard Haunter. This is a very unique Charizard we're facing," Morty said.

"Haunt (Right)," Haunter said.

"Start off with Flamethrower!" Ash said.

Charizard fired off the said attack.

"Use Shadow Ball!" Morty countered.

Haunter fired the Shadow Ball. But the Flamethrower cut right through the Shadow Ball like a hot knife through butter. Haunter suffered a direct hit.

"Now follow up with Psybeam!" Ash said.

Charizard quickly fired a Psybeam. Neither Haunter nor Morty could react in time. Haunter was directly struck again. Charizard's one-two punch was enough to faint Haunter.

"You did great Haunter," Morty said, returning his fainted Pokemon. Then he looked at Ash. "Your Charizard is quite powerful," he added.

_"Thanks," _Charizard said.

"If you thought Haunter was tough, just wait. Out of those who have defeated Haunter, there have only been a select few that have been able to beat my next Pokemon. Gengar, I choose you!" Morty said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Gengar gar (Ready for battle)," Gengar said.

"Charizard, use Psychic!" Ash said.

Gengar let it pass through you!" Morty countered.

Charizard unleashed her Psychic attack, but the attack went righ tthrough a now transparent Gengar.

"You won't win this one that easily," Morty said.

'The battle with Haunter wasn't that easy," Morty said.

"Now Gengar, use Shadow Ball!" Morty said.

Gengar moved behind Charizard before firing the attack. Because Gengar was still transparent, the Shadow Ball looked transparent as well. Because both Gengar and the approaching Shadow Ball were transparent, neither Ash nor Charizard could tell which direction the attack came from. Soon, Charizard was struck directly. She fell to the ground but was able to get back in the air.

_"What hit me?" _Charizard asked, still a little disoriented.

"Now Gengar, use Shadow Punch while she's still disoriented!" Morty said.

Gengar, still transparent, came towards Charizard with its fist reared back.

"Charizard, you've got to snap out of it!" Ash said.

Charizard shook her head a few times and was soon alert again. She closed her eyes in concentration. Seconds later, she used Teleport. Gengar made contact with nothing but air. Confused to what happened, George became solid again.

"Quick Charizard, use Psybeam while it's solid!" Ash said. 

Charizard quickly complied. Gengar cried out in pain as it was struck directly.

"Follow up with Flamethrower!" Ash said.

Charizard fired the Flamethrower.

"Gengar, turn around and use Shadow Ball!" Morty said.

Gengar turned and fired the Shadow Ball. The two attacks met in the center, but the Flamethrower soon started to win out. The Shadow Ball was being pushed backwards.

"Become transparent again Gengar!" Morty said.

Gengar became transparent again. However, there was one thing that neither Morty nor Gengar seemed to realize. Because the Flamethrower didn't cancel out the Shadow Ball, the Shadow Ball still headed for Gengar. And since a ghost Pokemon is vulnerable to its own type attacks, Gengar would be in for an unpleasant surprise. Several moments later, the attack made impact. The Flamethrower passed harmlessly through Gengar, but the Shadow Ball did not.

"Gengar (Aaaaahhhhh)!" Gengar cried in pain upon feeling the Shadow Ball strike it, becoming solid immediately afterwards.

"How can that be possible? Gengar should've been fine," Morty said totally confused.

"You didn't realize that the Shadow Ball hadn't been cancelled out. Charizard's Flamethrower only pushed it back," Ash said. /That was great thinking and even better anticipation to what Morty would have Gengar do/

Charizard turned and gave Ash a thumbs' up. She and Ash could see that Gengar was still pretty much disoriented.

"Now Charizard, finish it off with Psychic!" Ash said.

Charizard complied. Gengar was unable to become transparent and soon succumbed to the attack. It soon fainted. Then Charizard landed.

"Gengar is unable to battle. Charizard is the winner. This match goes to Ash," the medium said.

"Great job Charizard," Ash said, running up and hugging her.

Charizard hugged back. Morty had returned the fainted Gengar and was soon in front of Ash.

"That was a great battle Ash. You really are good at figuring things out," Morty said.

"Thanks," Ash said.

"As proof of defeating me, this Fog Badge is yours," Morty said, holding out the badge.

Ash proudly accepted the badge.

"This TM is also yours. You could teach your Pokemon Shadow Ball with it," Morty said, holding out the TM.

"Thanks," Ash said, taking the TM.

"Olivine City is down Route 38. When you leave the building, just turn left," Morty said.

"Thanks," Ash said before returning Charizard. Not wanting to do what he had to do to get to Morty again, he simply let the floor teleport him back to the starting point. Then he left the gym. He first headed to the Pokemon Center to get his Pokemon healed. After he got his Pokemon back, he headed towards the Route 38 entrance.

"Wait!" a male voice shouted.

Ash turned to see an elderly man coming towards him. "Is there something I missed?" he asked.

"I was hoping that maybe you would want to see the five Kimono Girls at our Dance Theater," the man responded. "They're quite good. Each of them dances with a different evolved form of Eevee," he added.

"Eevee can evolve five ways?" Ash asked.

"Yes. Three of its evolution are the result of it coming in contact with certain stones, while the other two are natural evolutions that are based on the time of day," the man responded.

"Can you explain please?" Ash asked.

"Certainly. When an Eevee comes in contact with a Water Stone, it evolves into Vaporeon. When it comes in contact with a Thunder Stone, it evolves into Jolteon. When it comes in contact with a Fire Stone, it evolves into Flareon. As far as natural evolutions, that happens with taming. If Eevee is really happy with its trainer, it can naturally evolve into either Espeon during the daytime, or Umbreon during the nighttime," the man responded.

'Bellossom and Croconaw might really love the show,' Ash thought. "Okay, I'll go. Where is the theater?" he said.

"Excellent. Follow me," the man said.

Ash followed the man to the theater. Several minutes later, they were inside the theater. Ash saw the Kimono Girls dancing with different Pokemon. Deciding to let all his Pokemon watch, he let them all out. Everyone present gasped in awe upon seeing Lugia, "A", "N", Celebi and Charizard. Even the dancers and their Pokemon stopped to look in awe. Then they continued their routine. They finished an hour later.

"The guy was right. They are good," Ash said.

"Bell, bellossom (Yeah, I'm impressed)," Bellossom said.

Then Ash returned his Pokemon before leaving the Dance Theater. Then he headed towards the entrance to Route 38, and towards the next gym battle. But all was not well in Olivine. The light in the Lighthouse was not working. That was because the Ampharos that powers the Lighthouse was very ill. Jasmine, the Olivine City Gym Leader, was currently caring for the sick Pokemon.

'I wish that there was a way that I could get the medicine that Ampgy needs. But I don't want to leave him here alone in his condition,' Jasmine thought, not knowing that her wish would soon be granted.

And that's a wrap on another chapter. Things are starting to heat up now. As far as the next chapter, I'm sorry to say that I really can't give a preview this time. The title of the next chapter really says it all.  



	8. One Day, Two Gym Battles

Recap: After winning his 3rd badge and capturing a Sudowoodo, Ash continued towards Ecruteak City. Upon reaching the city, he found the door locked. He soon learned Morty's location and went to the Burned Tower to have a little chat. He met Morty's friend Eusine there. Not too long afterwards, he dropped in on his most amazing encounter yet, seeing Entei, Suicune and Raikou face to face. Not long afterwards, the battle between Ash and Morty was underway, Ash coming out victorious. Before leaving the city, he watched the Kimono Girls at the dance theater. Now he was on his way again.  
( ) following Pokemon talk is the translation  
_Italic words _is psychic speech  
/ is Ash mental conversation with Lugia and/or Charizard  
_/Italic words/ _is Lugia and/or Charizard mental conversation with Ash  
(' is Pokemon thoughts  
' is human thoughts

Chapter 8: One Day, Two Gym Battles

Ash continued down Route 38. The events of earlier were still fresh in his mind. After finding the gym locked, Ash went to the Burned Tower to speak with Morty. After having another battle with Alex, he literally dropped in on a legendary encounter. Entei, Suicune and Raikou were present to greet him. Minutes later, he had battled Morty for his 4th badget. In a thrilling battle, he had come out the victor.

Then he decided to stop by the dance theater to watch the Kimono Girls dance. After watching a very impressive performance, he had left and headed down Route 38. Currently, the sky was beginning to grow dark. The trainers that normally hang out around Route 38 have headed to either Ecruteak or Olivine for the night.

/Lugia, can you transport us to Olivine? I'm not looking forward to spending the night outside tonight/

_/Certainly/ _Lugia said before releasing himself. He touched Ash with his wing before using Teleport to get to Olivine. He had made sure to appear in an unpopulated area.

Ash returned Lugia before heading to the Pokemon Center. He was in luck because there was only one room left. Nurse Joy showed him to the room. He found a large tray of fruits and nuts on a nightstand. Fortunately, the room was big enough for him to release all of his Pokemon. Then he and his Pokemon enjoyed the food on the tray. After finishing the food, Ash returned his Pokemon before locking the door.

There was a medium-sized bathroom in the room so Ash decided to shower before going to bed. He took off his Poke Belt and put in on a chair before heading into the shower. Half an hour later, he had come out in a pair of blue pajamas with Bellossom imprinted all over them. He was soon nestled in bed and fell asleep seconds afterward. The next morning, he prepared for his upcoming gym battle. After having breakfast, he returned his Pokemon and headed to the gym. He got a nasty surprise. Alex had just come out of the gym.

"If you're looking ot be trounced again, then be my guest," Ash said.

"You'll be glad to know that I have no intention of battling you right now. I was hoping to battle Jasmine, Olivine City's Gym Leader. But the person who referees the battles told me that she's in the lighthouse caring for a sick Pokemon," Alex said.

"There's a sick Pokemon?" Ash aksed in deep concern.

"Yeah. Sick Pokemon are weak Pokemon. I say that she should just let the thing stay sick," Alex said before leaving.

_/He's got some nerve/ _Charizard said.

/Well he's gone thankfully. But I'm more concerned about the Pokemon in the lighthouse/ Then he headed to the lighthouse. There were trainers along the way, but he had breezed through all of them. He wanted to see if he could do anything to help the sick Pokemon.

In the middle of about the fifth battle, Bayleef had evolved into Meganium. Two battles later, Quilava had evolved into Typhlosion, and Croconaw had evolved into Feraligatr three battles later. In all, all of the battles had only taken about twenty minutes. Then Ash made it to the top floor of the lighthouse. He was very concerned upon seeing a pale looking Pokemon lying in the corner. He also saw a young brunette woman by the Pokemon's side.

"Are you Jasmine?" Ash asked, approaching the woman.

Jasmine turned and saw Ash. "That would be me," she responded.

"What happened?" Ash asked.

"This Ampharos, which I call Amphy, is the main source of power for this lighthouse. But he had somehow gotten terribly sick a few days ago. We've had to shut down the harbor at night in fear of boating accidents due to Amphy not being able to light up the lighthouse," Jasmine responded.

"Maybe there's a way I could help," Ash said.

Jasmine's face lit up upon hearing that. "Oh could you?" she asked.

"Sure," Ash responded smiling.

"There's a medicine man in Cianwood City. He makes potent medicines to help cure Pokemon. Amphy is so sick that regular medicines haven't done a thing to help cure him. I don't want to leave Amphy alone in his condition, so could you go there for me?" Jasmine said.

"Of course I'll go," Ash said.

"Oh thank you," Jasmine said. "Good luck," she added.

Ash then left the way he came. Ten minutes later, he was out of the lighthouse. /Lugia, I need you to take me to Cianwood City. I don't want to deal with any trainer battles right now/

_/Of course/ _Lugia said before releasing himself.

Everyone around the vicinity was awestruck to see Lugia. Not wanting to waste time answering who knows how many questions, Ash got aboard Lugia. Then Lugia took off, heading for Cianwood. Lugia flew fast, but not to where it would be uncomfortable for Ash. Lugia touched down in Cianwood about ten minutes later.

_"Here we are," _Lugia said, Ash dismounting soon afterwards.

"Thank you," Ash said.

_"The gym is actually not too far from here. If you want, you can have a quick battle with the Gym Leader before getting the medicine," _Lugia suggested.

"That's what I'll do. I don't want to be here longer that I think is necessary so I'll make the battle with the Gym Leader very quick. Getting the medicine for Amphy is crucial," Ash said, returning Lugia. He headed to the gym. He soon saw a muscular man wearing white pants and a black belt around his waist and another man who was muscular but not as muscular as the first. He walked forward until he was about two-arm length away.

"So, you have come to challenge me," the first man said.

"Yes," Ash said.

"I'm Chuck," the first man said.

"I'm Ash," Ash said. "Can we have a one-on-one Pokemon battle? There's an important matter that I need to take care of afterwards," he added.

"Sure. But what is the matter?" Chuck said.

Ash then told Chuck about the sick Pokemon at the Olivine City Lighthouse.

"I see. Let's start the match now," Chuck said before going on one side of the battlefield.

Ash took the other.

"Even though this is only a one-on-one battle, I'm still battling to win. For this match, I choose Poliwrath!" Chuck said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"And I choose Pidgeot!" Ash said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Pidgeot, pidge pidgeot (Oh good, it's my turn now)," Pidgeot said.

"Poliwrath, use Ice Beam!" Chuck said.

Poliwrath fired the Ice Beam at Pidgeot.

"Get out of the way with Agility!" Ash said.

Pidgeot moved out of the way so fast that neither Poliwrath nor Chuck could keep track of it. Then Pidgeot struck Poliwrath with a Wing Attack.

"Good follow up Pidgeot," Ash said.

"Pidge (Thanks)," Pidgeot said.

"Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump!" Chuck said.

Poliwrath fired a powerful stream of water towards Pidgeot.

"Dive right through it with Quick Attack!" Ash said.

Using Quick attack, Pidgeot went clean through the Hydro Pump. Poliwrath was sent flying.

"Poli (How)?" Poliwrath asked in confusion upon getting up.

"How could that be possible?" Chuck asked, just as confused as Poliwrath.

"Let's just say that Pidgeot is much stronger than she looks," Ash responded, Pidgeot nodding. "Now Pidgeot, let's finish this with Sky Attack!" he added.

Pidgeot was soon nothing but a mass of energy. Then she dove right towards Poliwrath.

"Counter it with Dynamic Punch!" Chuck said.

Poliwrath waited for Pidgeot to get closer. When Pidgeot was within arm's length, Poliwrath delivered the punch. But the Dynamic Punch didn't do much to affect the outcome of the Sky Attack. Pidgeot was pushed backwards to a certain extent, but she persisted and ended up making direct contact.

"Wrath (Aaaaahhhhh!)" Poliwrath cried in pain upon getting walloped. It went flying through the air and came down hard.

The referee went over to check on Poliwrath to see that Poliwrath was down for the count. "Poliwrath is unable to battle. Pidgeot is the winner. Ash wins this match," he said.

"Holy mackerel! That's one strong Pidgeot you have there. No one has ever defeated Poliwrath as quickly as you have," Chuck said.

"I have spent a good amount of time training her," Ash said, Pidgeot nodding.

"You stormed through this battle. Now this Storm Badge is yours," Chuck said, holding out the badge. "Also, take this TM. It will teach one of your Pokemon Dynamic Punch," he added.

"Thanks," Ash said, taking the badge and TM. "Now I really must go," he added.

"By all means. You have a fellow Gym Leader and a sick Pokemon counting on you," Chuck said.

Ash returned Pidgeot and headed out of the gym. Then he asked around and found where the medicine man was. He went into the medicine man's shop. "I desperately need your help," he said.

"What's the issue?" the medicine man asked.

Ash then told the medicine man about the sick Pokemon in Olivine.

"I see. My medicines are so potent, that I recommend that they be used to cure the most critical diseases, which Amphy seemingly has," the medicine man said. He then got out a bottle of his Secret Potion and gave it to Ash. "Here you go. I hope that Amphy will be all right," he added.

"So do I," Ash said, taking the Secret Potion. Then he left the shop.

Something caught his eye. He looked ahead and gasped in awe upon what he saw. Suicune looked back at him before bounding off before anyone else saw it.

'It looks like Suicune really is looking forward to battling me,' Ash thought. He then released and mounted Lugia.

Then Lugia headed back to Olivine. _"That was a quick battle all right,"_ he said.

"Yeah. But what's even more interesting is that I just saw Suicune," Ash said.

_"Where was he?" _Lugia asked.

"He was in front of a rocky wall. I'm surprised that no one else happened to see him," Ash said.

_"He probably only wanted you to see him," _Lugia said.

"That's a good possibility," Ash said.

Minutes later, Lugia landed near the Olivine City Lighthouse. Ash then dismounted and returned Lugia. Then he raced through the lighthouse, making it to the top in only ten minutes. He saw Jasmine still at Amphy's side. Jasmine turned around to see that Ash had returned.

"My, that was fast. Do you have the medicine?" Jasmine said.

"I've got it," Ash said before taking it out of his backpack.

Jasmine then gave the Secret Potion to Amphy. Within a few minutes, Amphy was feeling much better.

"How do you feel Amphy?" Jasmine asked.

In response to Jasmine's question, Amphy used Flash three times.

"I'd say that you're feeling much better now," Jasmine said smiling. Then she looked back at Ash. "Thank you so much for helping us," she said.

Amphy approached Ash before hugging him. Ash returned the hug.

"You're welcome Amphy," Ash said before he and Amphy parted.

"I'll return to the gym now. You can come whenever you're ready," Jasmine said before leaving.

_/So Ash, which of us will you use?/ _Charizard asked.

/What kind of Pokemon does Jasmine use?/

_/She trains steel-type Pokemon/ _Lugia responded.

/So Charizard and Typhlosion would do pretty good here/

_/Sandslash would as well. Ground-type Pokemon are good to use against most steel-type Pokemonm as well, Skamory being the only exception because it is also a flying-type Pokemon/ _Lugia said.

/So I could possibly have a big decision to make if this match is a two-Pokemon match/ Then he left the lighthouse and headed to the gym where he found Jasmine waiting for him.

"Thanks again for all your help," Jasmine said.

"Don't mention it," Ash said before taking the other side of the battlefield.

"So, you ready to battle?" Jasmine asked.

"I sure am," Ash responded.

"This will be a two-on-two Pokemon match," Jasmine said.

"All right," Ash said.

"For my first Pokemon, I choose Magneton!" Jasmine said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"I choose Sandslash!" Ash said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Sandslash (Let's win this)," Sandslash said.

"Magneton, use Sonicboom!" Jasmine said.

"Magneton (Okay)," Magneton said, firing off sonic sound waves towards Sandslash.

"Dodge with Dig!" Ash said.

"Slash (Right)!" Sandslash said before quickly digging underground.

The Sonicboom went harmlessly past Sandslash. Then Sandslash came above ground again only to fall victim to a Tackle attack.

"Nice anticipation Magneton," Jasmine said. "Now use Metal Sound!" Jasmine said.

Magneton emitted a high-pitched sound that sounded like steel grinding against steel. Sandlash covered her aching ears.

"Now follow up with Tackle again!" Jasmine said.

Magneton complied, knocking Sandslash down. But Sandslash was able to quickly get back up.

"Now Sandslash, use Sand Tomb!" Ash said.

The dirt beneath Magneton started rising up all around it. Before it could react, the dirt came crashing down on top of it. Seconds later, the sand had finished caving. Magneton was able to stagger out, but looked worse for wear right now.

"Now Sandslash, finish it with Mud-Slap!" Ash said.

Sandslash slapped some mud towards the weakened Magneton.

"Magneton (You win)," Magneton said before fainting.

"Magneton is unable to battle. Sandslash wins this battle," the referee said.

"You did your best Magneton," Jasmine said, recalling her fainted Pokemon. "You were impressive. Now let's see how you fare against my strongest Pokemon. Steelix, let's rumble!" she added, releasing the said Pokemon.

Ash and Sandslash couldn't help the awestruck gasps that left their lips upon seeing the large steel snake Pokemon. Ash pulled out his Pokedex.

"Steelix, the steel snake Pokemon. Steelix is the evolved form of the rock Pokemon Onix. Like Onix, Steelix are natural-born leaders," the Pokedex said.

"I take it that this is your first time seeing a Steelix huh?" Jasmine asked.

"Yes it is," Ash responded.

"Well, shall we continue?" Jasmine asked.

"Okay," Ash responded.

"Steelix, use Iron Tail!" Jasmine said.

Steelix's tail glowed, as he closed the distance between himself and Sandslash.

"Sandslash, Dig quick!" Ash said.

Sandslash dug under seconds before Steelix slammed his tail down. Steelix felt nothing but ground under his tail. Sandslash resurfaced about ten feet away.

"Two can play the digging game. Steelix, use Dig!" Jasmine said.

Steelix dug under the ground. But Jasmine acted a little too hastily. Ash smiled to himself.

"Steelix just made itself very vulnerable Sandslash. Use Earthquake!" Ash said.

'Oh no. I didn't think about that!' Jasmine thought worriedly.

Sandslash used Earthquake, which ended up uprooting Steelix. Although greatly affected by the attack, Steelix was still faring pretty well. But now he was also in position for an attack. Jasmine noticed that Steelix managed to get close enough to Sandslash for an attack.

"Now Steelix. Use Iron Tail!" Jasmine said.

Steelix swung his large tail around. Sandslash went flying into a wall. Sandslash hit the wall so far that she was knocked unconscious. The referee saw no signs of Sandslash getting up anytime soon.

"Sandslash is unable to battle. Steelix wins," the referee said.

"Wow, what a hit," Ash said. "He then returned Sandslash. "You did your best," he added. "I've seen some of what your strongest Pokemon can do. My strongest Pokemon probably wouldn't be able to do too much here because he's a psychic/flying-type so my second strongest Pokemon will have to do. "Let's win this Charizard!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.

_"Let's do it," _Charizard said.

"Amazing," Jasmine said ine awe upon seeing Charizard.

"You said it," the referee said, also in awe.

Even Steelix gaped in awe upon seeing Charizard. Then the battle continued on.

"Steelix, use Iron Tail!" Jasmine said.

"Fly out of the way!" Ash countered.

Charizard quickly got out of Steelix's attack path.

"Now use Flamethrower!" Ash said.

Charizard shot out the said attack.

"Steelix, underground now!" Jasmine said.

Steelix dug underground. The Flamethrower missed its mark. Then Steelix resurfaced.

"Now use Sandstorm and follow up with Dig!" Jasmine said.

Steelix brewed up a sandstorm before digging underground.

_"Ooh boy, here we go again,"_ Charizard said.

"Don't panic Charizard. Remember your training against Sandshrew on the island," Ash said.

'What does he mean by that? I guess I'll have to ask him when this battle is over,' Jasmine thought.

_"Oh right," _Charizard said in recognition. She cleared her mind of all thoughts and focused on what was going on around her. She heard the ground shifting and used Teleport just as Steelix surfaced. _"That was close," _she said.

"Wha? How did she know?" Jasmine asked in shock.

"My Sandslash also knows Sandstorm. I've had her use Sandstorm against Charizard quite a bit so Charizard knows how to locate a Pokemon in a sandstorm.

_"In other words, don't expect a sandstorm to give you a big advantage against me," _Charizard said. She then used Teleport again to evade an Iron Tail attack. _"Not many sneak attacks work either," _she added. She flew out of the sandstorm before firing Dragonbreath into it.

A roar of pain was heard soon afterwards. The sandstorm died out to reveal Steelix on the ground. It managed to stagger back up.

"Great follow up Charizard," Ash said.

_"Thank you," _Charizard said.

"Steelix, try to knock Charizard out of the air with Rock Throw!" Jasmine said.

Steelix threw dozens of rocks toward Charizard.

"A simple Teleport will have you out of the way," Ash said.

Charizard used Teleport, easily evading the rocks being hurled at her. She reappeared behind Steelix.

"Now Charizard, use Fire Blast!" Ash said.

Charizard unleashed the large fiery star towards Steelix. Steelix roared in pain as the powerful attack burned every inch of his body.

"Now follow up with Flamethrower!" Ash said.

Charizard complied. The powerful combo attack was too much for Steelix to handle and he soon fainted.

"Steelix is unable to battle. Charizard is the winner. This match goes to...uh, who are you," the referee said.

"My name is Ash," Ash said.

"This match goes to Ash," the referee said.

"Steelix, you did great," Jasmine said, returning her fainted Pokemon. She looked at Ash and said, "You're a great trainer with an even greater heart."

"Thanks Jasmine," Ash said.

Jasmine was soon within arm's length of Ash. She held out two items. "As proof of your win against me, this Mineral Badge belongs to you. I would also like you to have this TM, which teaches a Pokemon Iron Tail. You could probably have your Charizard learn it if you want," she said.

"I have several other Pokemon that could also learn it," Ash said, taking both the badge and the TM. "Where is the next gym located?" he added.

"The next gym is located at Mahogany Town. To get there, you'll have to go through Ecruteak. Just like in this gym, your Charizard would do great in Mahogany's gym because the Gym Leader uses ice-type Pokemon," Jasmine said.

"Thanks for the advice," Ash said.

"By the way, what did you mean by Charizard's training on the island?" Jasmine asked.

"Oh, I was on a Pokemon inhabited island for two years. During my time on the island, I trained with Charizard, Sandslash, Bellossom, Pidgeot, Lapras and Lugia. Of course, Charizard, Sandslash, Bellossom and Pidgeot were in their unevolved forms when I met them," Ash responded.

"So you're a pretty experienced trainer then," Jasmine said.

"I guess you can say that," Ash said.

"Whoa! You have a Lugia?" the referee said.

"Yes. He and Lapras were the ones who brought me to the island," Ash said.

Then Charizard told Jasmine and the ref what had happened on that fateful day two years ago.

"So you were forcefully separated from your friends and family," Jasmine said.

"It's too bad that he can't remember them," the ref said.

"I hope that I can be reunited with them one day," Ash said before returning Charizard. Then he left the gym. He then had his Pokemon healed at the Pokemon Center before heading back to Ecruteak. While at the Pokemon Center, he had received the Strength HM from a sailor. He had breezed through the trainer battles on the way back to Ecruteak. He had come across two Eevee along the way.

An Eevee would usually run upon seeing a person. But these two Eevee didn't even make a move to flee. They casually walked up to Ash, nuzzling his legs. Ash got the hint and easily caught both of them. Upon arriving at Ecruteak, he decided to rest there for the day. After all, he had had quite a day today and the extra rest wouldn't hurt.

And that's the end of this chapter. Now you know why I couldn't preview this chapter because the title did say it all for the most part. I can give a preview for the next chapter so here we go. Preview for Chapter 9: Mahogany Crisis: Upon arriving at Mahogany Town, Ash finds the gym locked and someone standing watch in front of the door. He then hears a weird sound and decides to investigate. He finds out that the weird sound is the source of a sinister plot by the most notorious organization the Pokemon World has ever known. But what can he do against an entire organization? Stay tuned to find out. 


	9. Mahogany Crisis

Recap: After defeating Morty and seeing a show at the dance theater in Ecruteak City, Ash headed towards Olivine. Upon arriving, he found out that the Gym Leader was tending to a sick Pokemon. Wanting to help in any way he could, he offered his help to Jasmine. He then headed to Cianwood City to get a Secret Potion. After having a quick battle, he got the medicine and headed back to Olivine. He gave Jasmine the medicine, which she in turn gave to Amphy. Amphy's condition significantly improved, and Jasmine headed back to the gym. Soon afterwards, Ash battled her and won his 5th badge. Then he headed back to Ecruteak City to rest.  
( ) following Pokemon talk is the translation  
_Italic words _is psychic speech  
/ is Ash mental conversation with Lugia and/or Charizard  
_/Italic words/_ is Lugia and/or Charizard mental conversation with Ash  
(' is Pokemon thoughts  
' is human thoughts

Chapter 9: Mahogany Crisis

Ash was in Ecruteak City. He intended to spend the rest of the day and night there. He thought back to all he did today. First, he headed to the Olivine City Gym only to find out that the Gym Leader was in the lighthouse tending to a sick Pokemon. Being greatly concerned, he went to see if he could do anything to help. The trainers at the lighthouse only delayed him a little. He was able to quickly get to the troubled area. He found the sick Pokemon with Jasmine, Olivine City's Gym Leader, tending to it. The sick Pokemon was an Ampharos. Quickly volunteering to help, Ash learned of the medicine man in Cianwood City.

Wanting to get to Cianwood as quickly as possible, Ash rode Lugia. They had arrived in Cianwood so quickly that Lugia suggested that Ash have a quick battle with the Gym Leader. Ash agreed and ended up storming his way through battle, earning the Storm Badge and the Dynamic Punch TM. Then he got the Secret Potion from the medicine man. Just before he left for Olivine, he saw Suicune for a few brief moments. Then he headed back for the Olivine City Lighthouse. He gave the Secret Potion to Jasmine, who in turn, gave it to Amphy. Amphy felt much better very quickly. Minutes later, Ash and Jasmine went head to head in battle, Ash coming out victorious.

Now here he was in Ecruteak City. He was staying in a guest room at the Pokemon Center. He let all except Lugia, Lapras, Charizard and Pidgeot out of their balls. Bellossom, the two Eevee and Meganium quickly curled up the best they could before taking a nap. Ash slowly picked up Bellossom before putting her on the sofa that was in the room. He found a couple extra blankets nearby. He took one and put it over the sleeping Bellossom. Then he carried his Eevee to the other end of the sofa, putting the second blanket over them.

"Bell/Eevee (Thank you)," Bellossom and the two Eevee said in their sleep.

"You're welcome," Ash said quietly. 'They have the right idea,' he thought before getting into the bed. He was soon asleep himself.

The remaining Pokemon decided to also take a nap. Celebi used Psychic to lift the opposite end of the blanket so she could get settled on the sofa. When she was settled, she lowered the blanket end and was soon asleep herself. Feraligatr, Sudowoodo, Sandslash and Typhlosion simply curled up on the floor before falling asleep. "A" and "N" settled down on Typhlosion's back before also falling asleep. An hour later, Ash and his Pokemon awakened from their slumber.

"That nap was a great idea. I feel refreshed now," Ash said.

"Gator gat (So do we)," Feraligatr said, the others nodding.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Ash asked.

"Bell bellossom bell (Can we see the dancers again)?" Bellossom asked in response.

"Sure, if that's what you all want to do," Ash responded.

"Mega meg? Mega meg mega (Why not? They're very good)," Meganium said, the others nodding.

"Then the Dance Theater it is," Ash said, returning all his Pokemon. He then left the Pokemon Center and headed to the dance theater. He arrived several minutes later and entered. He got there just in time because the Kimono Girls were just getting on stage. 'Just in time,' he thought before releasing his Pokemon.  
_  
"Oh joy! We get to see them again," _Charizard said happily.

Soon, the Kimono Girls started their routines. Halfway into the show, Bellossom felt the urge to go up on stage and dance with them. The urge was so strong that she ended up doing just that. She was soon dancing the way she knew how. Then to everyone's surprise, the Kimono Girls and their Pokemon changed their routine to better accustom with Bellossom's movements.

Ash then felt the urge to join Bellossom. He gave into his urge and also went on stage. He then began to move in perfect harmony with Bellossom. Everyone in the audience was awestruck upon seeing the flawless movements of Ash and Bellossom. Even the Kimono Girls were in awe, but continued to dance. Half an hour later, the Kimono Girls were finished with their routine. But Ash and Bellossom were so in tuned to each other, they didn't realize that the routine was over and continued to dance. Now they were the ones with an audience. The Kimono Girls sat in the audience as Ash and Bellossom continued their dance.

"They're really good," the girl in the purple kimono said.

"Yes. It's amazing how harmonized they are. It's as if they know each others' movements," the girl in the blue kimono said.

An hour later, Ash and Bellossom concluded their routine. Loud clapping met their ears. They looked up and saw the Kimono Girls along with everyone else. They looked at each other sheepishly before turning towards the audience and bowing. Then they left the stage.

"That was awesome," the girl in the yellow kimono said.

"You and your Bellossom performed beautifully. The way you two danced was really a sight to behold," the girl in the blue kimono added.

"Thanks. Bellossom gets a lot of the credit though. She helped me to be able to dance like I can now," Ash said.

"That was outstanding!" a male voice said.

Ash turned to see the elderly man in charge of the theater.

"If you consider going into dancing, you are more than welcome to perform here," the elderly man said, the Kimono Girls nodding.

"Thanks," Ash said before he and Bellossom headed to where his other Pokemon were. He then returned Charizard, Lugia and Lapras before he and his remaining Pokemon left the theater.

"Sudowoodo sudo (That was great)," Sudowoodo said.

"Eevee. Eevee, eev eevee (Yeah. We really loved it)," the two Eevee said.

"Thanks guys," Ash said, Bellossom nodding. Then Ash returned his Pokemon. Then he made his way to Mahogany Town. Only a few minutes into Route 42, he saw Suicune a third time, Suicune locking eyes with him before speeding away. 'I can't wait until we battle,' he thought. He breezed through the trainer battles and was in Mahogany Town half an hour later.

He first went to the Pokemon Center to have his Pokemon healed. Ten minutes later, he headed for the gym. There was a man standing in front of the door.

"Excuse me. Why are you in front of the door?" Ash said.

"The leader Pryce told me to keep trainers from coming into the gym until he got back from meditating in the Ice Path," the man said.

Then Ash heard a weird sound. 'I wonder what's making that strange sound. Something tells me I should check it out,' he thought. Decision made, he headed off in the sound's direction. He went through the gatehouse to Route 43. He saw another gatehouse and was about to go through there.

_/Wait! I'm getting some bad vibes from in there. You should take the long way around/ _Lugia said.

/All right/ He took the longer way around. He made quick work of the trainers that challenged him, finding items along the way. He had managed to avoid other trainers until about ten minutes later. But he won that battle pretty quickly. Then he entered the Lake of Rage. He heard something roaring. He looked up and gasped in awe.

In the middle of the lake was a large Gyrados. But something was off. This Gyrados was red. Ash pointed his Pokedex at the Gyrados and was confused upon seeing the picture of a blue Gyrados on the Pokedex.

"I don't get it. Why is this Gyrados red with the picture on my Pokedex shows that it's blue?" Ash said. He got to about the edge of the lake.

The red Gyrados turned and saw him. It then fired a Hydro Pump at him. He quickly ducked, the attack sailing over his head. Ash had gotten the hint.

"You want to battle me huh?" Ash asked.

Gyrados roard in confirmation.

"All right then. A battle you shall have. Let's do this Feraligatr!" he said, releasing Feraligatr into the lake.

"Gator (Let's)," Feraligatr said.

Gyrados started off with Hyper Beam.

"Underwater now! Then retaliate with Thunderbolt!" Ash said.

Feraligatr dove underwater, easily avoiding the Hyper Beam. He resurfaced, firing a Thunderbolt in Gyrados' direction. Gyrados dove underwater but the Thunderbolt clipped his tail. Gyrados was still able to swim though and resurfaced with a Hydro Pump attack. Feraligatr was knocked under the water but soon resurfaced.

Gyrados had sunk under the surface of the lake. It bit down on Feraligatr's leg and pulled down. Feraligatr struggled to get his leg out of Gyrados' jaws, but Gyrados hung tight. Then Feraligatr used Zap Cannon in an attempt to free himself. The attempt worked, as Gyrados was forced to let go. Then Feraligatr surfaced above the water, Gyrados surfacing soon afterwards.

"Nice job Feraligatr," Ash said. 'What Gyrados just did gives me an idea,' he thought. Feraligatr, dive underwater!" he said.

Feraligatr sunk beneath the surface again.

"Now pull Gyrados down with you!" Ash said.

Feraligatr gripped Gyrados' tail before pulling it underwater as well.

'Hopefully, all of Feraligatr's battles against Electric Pokemon paid off,' Ash thought. "Feraligatr, use Thunder!" he said.

Feraligatr charged up and unleashed a powerful Thunder attack. The surface of the lake it up in the attack. Gyrados roared in pain as the powerful electric attack tore through his body. Because the attack was done underwater, its power was greatly magnified. Gyrados fainted several minutes later, floating to the surface. Feraligatr then surfaced. The electricity hadn't affected him at all.

"I'm glad to see that all of the battles we had with Electric Pokemon paid off. You've developed immunity to electricity even though you are a water-type Pokemon," Ash said. He took an empty Poke Ball before facing the fainted Gyrados. "Poke Ball go!" he said, throwing the ball.

The fainted Gyrados was easily caught. The now occupied ball floated on the lake's surface. Feraligatr grabbed the ball and was soon on the lakeshore. He then handed the ball to Ash as well as something else. One of Gyrados' scales also floated in the water. Ash took the ball before releasing Gyrados again. The he released Lugia. Lugia was awestruck upon seeing a red Gyrados.

"Use Recover on Gyrados," Ash said.

Lugia nodded before helping Gyrados recover. Ash then returned Lugia and Gyrados regained consciousness. Gyrados saw Ash and Feraligatr looking at him. He bowed his head in submission.

(You have defeated me fair and square. I submit to you) Gyrados said.

"To start things off, would you like a nickname?" Ash asked.

(Okay) Gyrados said.

"Well because you're probably the only Gyrados that is different in color, I think I should call you Red," Ash said.

(I'm fine with that) Gyrados said.

"Then Red it is," Ash said. He then took the scale from Feraligatr before putting it in his backpack. Then he returned Red and Feraligatr before putting it in his backpack. Then he returned Red and Feraligatr.

"That was a very impressive battle," a male voice suddenly said.

Ash turned around to see a man with spiky red hair standing five feet away. The man wore a long black and read cape.

"What's your name child?" the man asked.

"My name is Ash. Who are you?" Ash responded.

"I am Lance. I've been sent here by the Elite Four to investigate the situation here," the man said.

"What situation?" Ash asked. 'This guy is an elite trainer?' he thought in awe.

"The red Gyrados that you just caught was the result of a forced evolution," Lance responded.

"What do you mean forced?" Ash asked.

"My suspicion is that it has something to do with the weird frequency. The red Gyrados was probably just an ordinary Magikarp before hearing the frequency. Although Magikarp do evolve into Gyrados, I have never seen a Magikarp naturally become a red Gyrados. There's only one group that is capable of doing something like forced evolution, and that's Team Rocket. I've heard that they've been using the frequency in an attempt to control Pokemon," Lance responded.

"Well it thankfully doesn't work," Ash said.

"Thankfully indeed," Lance said. "I suspect that Team Rocket has a secret base somewhere in Mahogany Town. They need to be stopped. Even though I am a member of the Elite, I can't do this alone," he added.

"I'll help you put a stop to them," Ash said.

"Thank you. Meet me in the Poke Mart. I have a feeling that Team Rocket's secret base is located there somewhere," Lance said. Then he released Dragonite before climbing onto its back.

Then Dragonite took off.

"So that's wat a Dragonite looks like," Ash said. 'I've always wondered what one looked like ever since Charizard first told me that she had Dragonite DNA in her,' he secretly added. Then he released Pidgeot. "Let's head back to Mahogany Town," he said.

"Pidgeot (All Aboard)," Pidgeot said.

Ash climbed onto Pidgeot. Then Pidgeot took off, heading back to Mahogany Town, touching down minutes later. Ash dismounted Pidgeot before returning her. Then he made a quick stop at the Pokemon Center before heading into the Poke Mart. He found Lance waiting for him.

"Good, you made it," Lance said.

"So where do you suspect the hidden entrance is?" Ash asked.

Lance then noticed a very nervous guy standing in front of a statue near the west wall. "This guy looks pretty nervous. Either that's just an ordinary statue..." he started.

"Or there's something hidden under there," Ash finished.

Not being able to take the scrutinizing stares any longer, the guy quickly fled from the mart. Lance went over to the statue. He moved to push the statue. Confirming his and Ash's suspicion, he was able to see a little of an underground path.

"I was able to see something under here. This statue is quite heavy though," Lance said.

"Here, let me help. Celebi, used Psychic to move the statue!" Ash said, releasing Celebi.

"Bi (Right)," Celebi said. She then moved the statue to reveal the hidden stairwell underneath.

"Great work Celebi," Ash said before returning her. Then he and Lance went down the stairs and soon found themselves in a large room.

"I think we should split up," Lance said.

"Good idea. That way, one of us is assured to get some information about how to shut off the strange frequency," Ash said before he and Lance went off in different directions. He didn't get far before he heard an alarm suddenly go off.

A Rocket grunt soon confronted him. "I see you failed to notice the statue next to you. Its eyes are really cameras that trigger an alarm whenever something walks by. You're only way past me is to battle me," he said before releasing Drowzee.

"Fine with me," Ash said before releasing Feraligatr.

"Use Psywave Drowzee!" the grunt said.

"On your stomach Feraligatr. Then use Thunderbolt," Ash said.

Feraligatr dove to the ground seconds after Drowzee launched the Psywave. Then he quickly retaliated with Thunderbolt. Drowzee had now time to react and was soon down for the count. The grunt's Zubat didn't fare any better.

"You'll get yours in the end kid," the grunt said before making a hasty retreat.

Then another grunt came in. "You must defeat me as well in order to continue," he said.

"That probably won't take long," Ash said. He proved to be right.

The battle with the second grunt was over pretty quickly as well.

"You might've defeated me now. But we have a nearly endless supply of Pokemon at our disposal and will return every time you cross one of the surveillance cameras scattered across this room unless you find the way to disarm them," the grunt said before retreating as well.

_/So now you know what you have to do/ _Lugia said.

/Yes. I have to find out where the cameras' controls are/ He then walked on. He stopped upon seeing another statue. But then he noticed an opening in a wall. He went through the opening. He soon saw another statue as well as another opening in the wall before reaching the statue. He went through the second opening and saw a computer. Upon getting closer, he saw a scientist using the computer.

The scientist turned and saw him. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"To put a stop to your devious plot to control Pokemon," Ash responded.

"We'll see just how tough you are," the scientist said before releasing a Magnemite. "Use Tackle on this kid!"

Magnemite charged toward Ash.

Ash released Sudowoodo. "End this match with Dynamic Punch," he said.

Before Magnemite could tackle Ash, Sudowoodo gave it a wallop of a punch. Magnemite went flying across the room. The scientist suddenly got a serious case of cold feet and made a hasty retreat.

"That takes care of that. Nice work Sudowoodo," Ash said.

"Sudo (Thanks)," Sudowoodo said.

Then Ash went up ot the computer. 'This must be the way to turn the cameras on and off. Now how do I turn them off?' he thought. He then noticed an icon that looked like a smaller version of the statues in the room. Using the mouse, he clicked on the icon.

A text box appeared on the screen, asking, "Turn the cameras off? Yes/No".

Ash clicked the yes option, seeing another text box saying that hte cameras have been turned off. Then he made his way to the next room without incident. After battling two more grunts, he made his way into the next room. He saw Lance standing next to a Rocket grunt. He saw the dejected look on the grunt's face and mentally smirked, knowing that Lance must've creamed the guy. Lance turned and saw Ash.

"Glad to see you've made it this far. This guy next to me told me that we have to learn two passwords to open the locked door on this floor. He also said that there is a third password that will unlock the door on the third basement floor. But we'll have to get the first two passwords before we can find out what the third password is," Lance said.

"Let's do this," Ash said before moving on, Lance going a different way. He saw an opening in a wall nearby and went through. After quicklky dealing with the scientist, he had a quick battle with a female grunt.

"The first password is Slowpoke Tail," the grunt said.

Then Ash backtracked through the opening. He went further down and had two more battles. After the second battle, he acquired the second password: Raticate Tail. He backtracked again, going up this time and entering a different stairway. He went down the passageway and soon confronted another grunt. He made quick work of that battle and went up another stairway. He just about reached the locked door when...

"Why are you here?" an obnoxious voice asked.

'Here we go again,' Ash thought dryly, looking back towards the stairs and seeing Alex. He noticed that Alex had a dejected look on his face. "Did something happen?" he asked.

"It's just that I confronted some guy named Lance a little earlier. He totally creamed my Pokemon. He said that I should be more open to them," Alex responded.

"What will it take for you to get that lesson through that thick skull of yours?" Ash asked.

"I'll get you for that comment later," Alex said before making his way out of the building.

"Now to get back to the task at hand," Ash said. He went over to the locked door and entered the two passwords. The door opened, and he went through. This time, he battled a Rocket executive. But he made quick work of the battle.

Then a Murkrow told him the password to the second locked door. Then he backtracked until he was once again in the room on the third basement floor. He walked towards the locked door.

"Hold it!" a female voice shouted.

Ash turned back and saw a male and a second female executive coming towards him.

"You've caused us enough trouble," the male executive said.

"But now the odds are in our favor. Even a trainer like yourself won't be able to take on both of us," the female executive said. "Arrrgh!" she said seconds afterwards upon being knocked to the ground.

Ash looked up and saw Dragonite. He saw Lance seconds later. "Nice of you to join us," he said smiling.

"Good work on making it this far," Lance said towards Ash. Then he turned towards the female executive who had just gotten back up. "Now the odds are even: the two of you vs. the two of us," he added. Then he faced off against the female executive.

"Go Arbok!" the male executive said, releasing the snake Pokemon.

Ash pointed his Pokedex at Arbok and got some information on it. "So a poison-type Pokemon huh? Well I choose Celebi!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Bi (Ready)," Celebi said.

The executive nearly fainted from shock upon seeing Celebi. But he soon regained his composure. "The boss would absolutely love to have Celebi," he said.

"Well that isn't going to happen," Ash said.

"Arbok, use your Poison Sting!" the executive said.

"Send it right back with Psychic!" Ash said.

Celebi used Psychic to reflect Arbok's attack. 

"Now use Psybeam!" Ash said.

Celebi fired the said attack before either Arbok or its trainer could react. Arbok was pretty disoriented afterdwards.

"Now finish it off with Psychic!" Ash said.

Celebi complied. Arbok fainted soon afterwards.

"Let's see how your psychic Pokemon handles this. Murkrow go!" the executive said after returning the fainted Arbok.

_/You should switch Pokemon Ash/ _Lugia said.

/Why's that?/

_Celebi is at a serious disadvantage against Murkrow. Murkrow is a dark-type Pokemon. Nearly all psychic attacks have absolutely no affect on a dark-type Pokemon while dark-type attacks are highly effective against psychic-type Pokemon. Because Murkrow is also a flying-type Pokemon, Celebi wouldn't be much help do you here/ _Lugia said.

/Okay/ "Return Celebi," he said. "Now I choose Lapras!" he siad, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Lapras lap (Ready to do battle)," Lapras said.

"Murkrow use Faint Attack!" the executive said.

"Ice Beam Fast!" Ash counterd.

Lapras gave off her attack seconds before Murkrow disappeared. Murkrow fell to the ground, frozen in a block of ice.

"Now, use Hydro Pump!" Ash said.

Lapras complied, sending the frozen Murkrow flying into a wall. The ice broke upon impact, revealing the fainted Murkrow. The executive looked around and saw that the female executive had already high tailed it out of there. He returned his fallen Pokemon.

"You may have defeated us. But you'll have a difficult time shutting the frequency off," the male executive said before making a retreat as well.

"Well done Ash," Lance said.

"Thanks. Now to get into the locked area," Ash said. He went up to the door and entered the password.

The door opened, and they went through. Lance looked all around the machine, but there was no simple way of shutting the machine down. A group of six Electrodes powered the machine.

"I hoped that there would be an easy way to turn off the machine. Unfortunately, it looks like the only way to shut down the machine is to defeat the Electrode powering it. You take one side. I'll take the other," Lance said.

"Will do," Ash said. He and Lance made quick work of the Electrodes

After the last Electrode was defeated, the machine shut off. Then Ash had "A" teleport the Electrode out of the building. Then he had "A" used Psychic to destroy the machine. That way, no one could ever use it to try to control Pokemon.

"That takes care of that machine. Now no one can use it," Ash said.

"Thank you for helping me deal with Team Rocket," Lance said.

"It was no problem," Ash said.

"As a token of my thanks," I would like you to take this HM. This HM will teach your Pokemon Waterfall," Lance said, holding out the HM.

"Thanks," Ash said, taking the HM. "'A', can you teleport us out of here?" he added.

"Unown (Sure)," "A" responded before teleporting Ash and Lance outside the Poke Mart.

"I hope we meet again," Lance said before releasing Dragonite. He got onto Dragonite's back before Dragonite took off.

Ash then made a Pokemon Center pit stop. Twenty minutes later, he headed back to the gym to find no one standing at the door. 'Pryce must've returned,' he thought before heading inside. Upon entering, he saw that the floor was mostly ice.

"Ah, welcome trainer," a serious voice said.

Ash looked up to see an elderly man about ten yards ahead of him. 'That must be Pryce,' he thought.

"As you can see, most of the floor is ice. Choose your moves carefully because you'll otherwise end up sliding all over the gym. When you get to me, then our battle will begin," Pryce said.

Ash first took a good look at the floor. He noticed that there were areas of solid floor. He scanned the entire floor with his eyes, paying close attention to where the ice became solid floor. Several minutes later, he knew what moves to make. He headed over to the right wall and stepped onto the ice. He soon came to a smooth stop on a patch of solid floor. He turned to his left and stepped on the ice, coming to a smooth stop seconds later. Then he stepped on the ice ahead of him, coming to a smooth stop in front of Pryce.

Pryce was clearly amazed upon seeing how quickly Ash made it to him.l "That was quite impressive young man. You figured out this puzzle a lot quicker than all the trainers before you. Many trainers before you took so long that I actually fell asleep waiting for them to get to me," he said.

"I hope to impress you further," Ash said.

"We will use two Pokemon each for this battle," Pryce said.

"Okay," Ash said.

"I choose Dewgong!" Pryce said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Gong (Ready)," Dewgong said.

Ash pointed his Pokedex at Dewgong, getting information on it. "Well I'll make this water-type vs. water-type. Let's go Feraligatr!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon soon afterwards.

"Gator (I'm ready)," Feraligatr said.

"Dewgong use Ice Beam!" Pryce said.

"Dew (Right)!" Dewgong said, firing off the attack.

"On your stomach Feraligatr!" Ash said.

Feraligatr lay flat on his stomach. The icy attack sailed over his head. Feraligatr then got back up.

"Use Zap Cannon!" Ash said.

Feraligatr soon flung a ball of electricity Dewgong's way.

"Use Icy Wind to send it right back!" Pryce said.

Dewgong sent a wind of ice through its horn at the approaching attack. The now iced over Zap Cannon was blown back towards Feraligatr. Neither Ash nor Feraligatr panicked though.

"Hit it right back to Dewgong!" Ash said.

Feraligatr used his tail to send the iced over Zap Cannon right back towards Dewgong. That caught both Dewgong and Pryce off guard. The iced over Zap Cannon soon made impact. Upon impact, the ice broke, giving Dewgong quite a shock. Dewgong screamed in pain as the now free electricity tore through its body.

"Don't despair Dewgong. Use Rest," Pryce said.

Dewgong closed its eyes and went to sleep.

_/You've got to act quickly Ash. Dewgong will be fully recovered when it opens its eyes/ _Charizard said.

"Feraligatr, use Thunderbolt. We can't let Dewgong recover," Ash said.

"Gator (Roger)," Feraligatr said before unleashing the attack.

Dewgong screamed in pain. The electricity forced it out of its rest. Soon, Dewgon had fainted from the attack.

"Dewgong is unable to battle. Victory to Feraligatr," the referee said.

"Nice one Feraligatr," Ash said.

"Gat (Thanks)," Feraligatr said.

"Very impressive young man," Pryce said, returning Dewgong.

"Thank you sir," Ash said.

"Now let's see how you handle my next Pokemon. Let's rumble Piloswine!" Pryce said, releaing the said Pokemon.

_/Be on your guard Ash. Piloswine is a ground-type Pokemon as well as an ice Pokemon/ _Lugia said.

'So that means electric attacks won't work here, but water attacks might,' Ash thought. "Feraligatr, use Hydro Pump!" he said.

Feraligatr complied, firirng a large stream of water towards Piloswine.

"Freeze the water with Ice Beam!" Pryce said.

Piloswine did so.

"Now use Blizzard!" Pryce said.

Piloswine fired a fierce wind of ice and snow towards Feraligatr. Feraligatr couldn't react in time and was soon frozen over. Feraligatr slowly started breaking out of the thick ice. He managed to completely break out, but fainted from exhaustion soon afterwards.

"Feraligatr is unable to battle. Victory to Piloswine," the referee said.

"Return Feraligatr," Ash said, returning his fallen Pokemon. "You did the best you could," he said quietly. "Now it's time to turn up the heat. Let's do this Typhlosion!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Typh (Let's)," Typhlosion said.

"Use Fury Attack Piloswine!" Pryce said.

Piloswine complied.

"Counter with Ember!" Ash said.

Typhlosion fired dozens of tiny fire seeds at the oncoming Fury Attack. The two attacks cancelled each other out.

"Now follow up with Flamethrower!" Ash said.

Typhlosion unleashed a stream of fire towards Piloswine.

"Counter it with Ice Beam!" Pryce said.

Piloswine fired off the said attack towards the oncoming fire attack. The attacks met in the center. At first, it looked like a stalemate. Then, the Flamethrower slowly began overtaking the Ice Beam.

"Dodge it quick!" Pryce said.

Piloswine stopped its Ice Beam and was able to dodge the oncoming Flamethrower.

"Now use Blizzard!" Pryce said.

Piloswine fired the said attack towards Typhlosion.

"Dive through that with Flame Wheel!" Ash said.

"Typh (Okay)," Typhlosion said. She ignited the fire around her neck. Then she charged toward Piloswine, curling in on herself when she gathered enough momentum.

The icy attack soon collided with Typhlosion. But the fire around her neck had expanded around her, shielding her from the attack. She continued towards Piloswine. Piloswine gave a cry of surprise to see that its attack failed to stop Typhlosion. Soon, Typhlosion made direct impact. Piloswine was knocked off its feet, crying in pain upon being burned.

"Now Typhlosion, finish this with Flamethrower!" Ash said.

"Typhlosion (You got it)!" Typhlosion said before unleashing the said attack.

Piloswine cried in pain as the Flamethrower burned its body. It fainted seconds later.

"Piloswine is unable to battle. Typhlosion wins," the referee said.

"That was a hot battle Typhlosion," Ash said.

"Typhlosion typh (You know it)," Typhlosion said, giving Ash a thumb's up.

Pryce had returned the fallen Piloswine. Then he walked up to Ash. "That was a great battle young man," he said.

"Thanks," Ash said.

"As proof of your victory, take this Glacier Badge. Also, take this TM. It teaches Icy Wind," Pryce said, holding out the badge and the TM.

Ash proudly took the items from Pryce. 'I'm sure Lapras wouldn't mind learning Icy Wind,' he thought.

"You haven't told me your name yet," Pryce said.

"My name's Ash," Ash said.

"Well Ash, your final gym battle is in Blackthorn City. It is just on the other side of the Ice Path. The Ice Path is at the end of Route 44 that is several miles east of here. Ice and dragon-type attacks will help you a great deal at the Blackthorn Gym Because the Gym Leader trains dragon-type Pokemon," Pryce said.

"Thanks for the tidbit," Ash said before leaving the gym. He headed straight for the Pokemon Center. After getting his Pokemon back, he headed for Route 44. He stopped upon hearing his Pokegear ring. He soon answered.

"Hello Ash. This is Professor Elm," the Professor said.

"Hi Professor. What's up?" Ash said.

"I'm afraid that something terrible has happened at Goldenrod City. Professor Oak called me not too long ago. He told me that Team Rocket has taken over the city. All of the inhabitants have been forced into the buildings. No one is allowed outside. Maybe you can find a way to help them," Professor Elm said.

"I'll do the best I can," Ash said before hanging up. "I need your help Charizard," he added, releasing the said Pokemon.

There were multiple gasps of awe. But neither Ash nor Charizard paid the people any heed.

_"What's the problem?" _Charizard asked.

"It's a big problem. Professor Elm just called. He told me that Team Rocket has taken over Goldenrod. They forced all the inhabitants inside the buildings. No one is allowed out. We have to find a way to help those people," Ash said.

_"Well climb on," _Charizard said.

Ash got on Charizard's back. Then Charizard took off, heading towards Goldenrod City. She, Ash and the rest of Ash's Pokemon were all more than ready to help rid the city of Team Rocket and free the imprisoned people.

Well that's another chapter down. Preview for Chapter 10: Battle for Freedom: Team Rocket is still up to no good as usual. Now they've taken all of Goldenrod City hostage in an attempt to try to control Pokemon using the Radio Tower's antenna. Can Ash put a stop to their plot once and for all and save an entire city? Stay tuned to find out.


	10. Battle for Freedom

Recap: After spending some time in Ecruteak City, Ash continued towards Mahogany Town. Upon arriving, he found the gym locked. But upon hearing a strange sound, he went to the Lake of Rage to investigate. There, he fought and caught a red Gyrados. Not long afterwards, he encountered Lance, one of the Elite Four, and learned that Team Rocket attempted to use the sound to control Pokemon. The two teamed up and had thwarted Team Rocket for the time being. Then Ash returned to the gym and battled Pryce, coming out victorious. Before he could even head towards Blackthorn City, a call from Professor Elm alerted him to the crisis in Goldenrod City.  
( ) after Pokemon talk is the translation  
_Italic words _is psychic speech  
/ is Ash mental conversation with Lugia and/or Charizard  
_/Italic words/ _is Lugia and/or Charizard mental talk with Ash  
(' is Pokemon thoughts  
' is human thoughts

Chapter 10: Battle for Freedom

Ash and Charizard were almost at Goldenrod City. Ash and his Pokemon had quite a day yesterday. He had expected to go straight to the gym upon entering Mahogany Town but was surprised to see someone blocking all access to the gym. Then he heard a strange frequency. He decided to investigate, defeating trainers along the way. Upon reaching the Lake of Rage, he heard a fierce roar. He looked in the lake and was astounded to see a red Gyrados swimming around. Upon locking eyes, the Gyrados challenged him to battle. Ash accepted and ended up capturing the red Gyrados as a result.

Then a man wearing a black and red cape soon confronted him. This man turned out to be Lance the Dragon Master. He had seen Ash battle and capture the red Gyrados and had explained the situation about why the Gyrados was red instead of blue and asked for Ash's help in bringing Team Rocket down, which Ash agreed to without hesitation.

Then the duo headed into Team Rocket's secret hideout via a secret stairwell that was underneath a statue in the Poke Mart. They battled their way through Team Rocket grunts and executives and soond found the source of the frequency. Unfortunately, the only way to shut the frequency off was to defeat the six Electrodes powering it, but Ash and Lance defeated the Electrode. Then Ash had "A" teleport him and Lance out of the hideout.

Lance thanked Ash for the help before he took flight on his Dragonite. Ash then noticed that no one was in front of the gym anymore. He made a quick pit stop at the Pokemon Center before entering the gym to challenge Pryce. In a thrilling battle, Ash came out the victor, receiving his 7th badge. He was about to head towards the Ice Path when Professor Elm alerted him to the situation in Goldenrod City.

_"I should've known that Team Rocket would try something like this. Even when I was in my Poke Ball, I sensed some of them in Goldenrod the first time we were there," _Charizard said.

"The first two times we dealt with them, they were after Pokemon. Now they've taken over an entire city. It's time to put an end to their sinister plans and rid this region of them once and for all," Ash said.

_/I can't wait for that/ _Lugia said.

Fifteen minutes later, Charizard landed just outside the city. She let Ash off with Psychic. _"I think that you should return me for now. Team Rocket will probably not even bother you if they see only you. Chances are they'll think that you're just a passing trainer. You should head to the Radio Tower from there. I sense some very bad vibes coming from there," _she said.

_/So do I/ _Lugia confirmed.

"Okay," Ash said, returning Charizard. Then he entered the city. Like Charizard said, he had no trouble going through the city because the Team Rocket grunts there only saw him as a trainer passing through. He was able to get into the Radio Tower. Upon entering, he found three very panicky people at the front desk. He went over to the receptionist. "What happened?" he asked.

"Team Rocket has taken over the Radio Tower. I suspect that they did something with the director," the receptionist responded.

Ash then went up to the 2nd floor. He didn't walk far before a Rocket grunt challenged him to a battle. Using Lapras, he made quick work of the grunt's Golbat and Macargo. Then he headed for the stairwell to the 3rd floor. He defeated several more grunts along the way. Upon reaching the next floor, he saw several more grunts guarding another stairwell. After taking care of them, he headed to the 4th floor. Upon arriving he saw a grunt and a scientist. The scientist was watching the stairwell to the 5th floor like a hawk. Not wanting to have another battle, Ash ducked back inside the fourth floor stairwell.

"Lapras, use Sing on those men," he said quietly, releasing Lapras.

Lapras soon materialized from her ball. The grunt and scientist looked in her direction. Before they could release any of their Pokemon to attack, they fell under Lapras's hypnotic voice and were soon asleep.

Ash then came into the room. "Nice work Lapras," he said before returning her. Then he went to the 5th floor. He saw what appeared to be the director. 

The "director" approached him. Ash didn't like the sinister smirk on the "director's" face.

"So you made it here. Well I'm not the real director," the phony director said before taking off his disguise, revealing a man in a business suit. "I am one of Team Rocket's top executives," he added.

"Where's the real director?" Ash asked in a demanding tone.

"He's being held in the Goldnerod City Underground," the executive responded before holding out a key. "And you won't be able to get to him without this Basement Key here," he said tauntingly.

_/He's asking for it/ _Charizard said.

/I'm ready to literally knock some sense into him/

"I'll be on my way now," the executive said, heading for the stairwell.

"Oh no you don't!" Ash said. He managed to tackle the executive, forcing the executive to drop the key. He then grabbed the key.

"So, you're stronger and more gutsy than you look. You win this round kid," the executive said before leaving the Radio Tower.

Ash then left the Radio Tower. First, he headed to the Pokemon Center to have his Pokemon healed. He knew that he needed his Pokemon at full strength for the battle ahead. After getting his Pokemon back, he headed for the Underground. He made quick work of the trainers there before locating a door at the end of a dead end tunnel. He used the Basement Key and was soon inside. He took several steps when...

"Hold it!" an obnoxious voice said.

"Not again," Ash muttered annoyingly.

('Oh great, here comes the jerk again') all of Ash's Pokemon thought.

"When will you **stop bothering me**?" Ash asked in an annoyed and angered tone.

Alex actually shrunk back a little at the tone of Ash's voice. But he recovered though. "Where's that Lance guy?" he asked.

"He left after we stopped Team Rocket," Ash responded. "What are you getting at?" he added.

"Humph, he said that I need to be more open hearted with my Pokemon," Alex said.

"You should've learned that lesson by now. You think that having an open heart is a weak way to train Pokemon. But your method of training will end up hurting your Pokemon in the long run as Lance showed you. Like me, he treats and trains his Pokemon with compassion. Treating and training your Pokemon with compassion is what really encourages them to give it their all for their trainers. But you have yet to learn that lesson," Ash said.

"I'll show you that compassion is for the weak. We'll settle this with a Pokemon battle, five Pokemon each," Alex said.

"You're asking for another trouncing then," Ash said.

"Let's do this Sneasel!" Alex said, releasing the said Pokemon.

Ash pointed his Pokedex at Sneasel. "So, an ice-type Pokemon huh? Well come on out Typhlosion!" Ash said.

"Typhlosion typh (Let's toast this wimp)!" Typhlosion said.

Angered at being called a wimp, Sneasel attacked with Ice Beam.

"You know what to do Typhlosion," Ash said.

Typhlosion nodded and used Flamethrower. The Flamethrower went right through the Ice Beam, making contact with Sneasel. Sneasel fainted in the fiery attack.

"That's one down," Ash said.

Alex growled, returning the fainted Sneasel. "You got lucky on that one. Now Golbat will trounce you," he added, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Good job Typhlosion. Return," Ash said, returning his fiery Pokemon. "Come on out Lapras!" he added, releasing Lapras.

"Lapras lap lapras (Looks like I'm up for round 2)," Lapras said upon seeing Golbat.

"Golbat, use Leech Life!" Alex said.

Golbat was able to sap some of Lapras's strength. But it was goint to take a lot more than that to defeat her.

"Like that will do my Lapras in. She's had Pokemon use Leech Life on her quite a few times before, coming back strong every time. Lapras, end this with Ice Beam!" Ash said.

Lapras fired an Ice Beam.

"Doge that!" Alex said.

Golbat dodged the Ice Beam with only seconds to spare.

"Follow up with Blizzard!" Ash said.

Lapras complied, and Golbat was soon down for the count.

"Are you sure that you want to continue with the battle? My Pokemon haven't even broken a sweat yet and two of your Pokemon are already down," Ash said.

"I'll show you. Let's do it Magnemite!" Alex said, releasing Magnemite.

"Magnemite mag (Prepare to be shocked)!" Magnemite said.

"Lapras return. Let's do this Feraligatr!" Ash said, releasing his said Pokemon.

"Gator (I'm ready)," Feraligatr said.

"Magnemite, use Thunderbolt!" Alex said.

Magnemite complied.

"Prepare to be surprised," Ash said.

"What do you mean by that?" Alex asked.

"You'll see right away," Ash responded.

Sure enough, Feraligatr didn't feel the effects of the Thunderbolt attack. He didn't even flinch.

"What?! How could a pure water-type Pokemon not even feel an electric attack?" Alex asked in shock.

"Simple, Feraligatr has been shocked so many times that he developed an immunity to it," Ash responded. "Now use Hydro Pump!" he added.

Feraligatr fired a powerful stream of water. Caught completely off guard, Magnemite took a direct hit and was sent flying across the room. It was able to recover and was soon back in front of Feraligatr.

"Magnemite, there's got to be something that works against this Pokemon. Use Lock-On and follow it with Zap Cannon!" Alex said.

Magnemite locked onto Feraligatr before firing a ball of electricity at him.

"Counter with Thunderbolt!" Ash said. 'Even though the electricity won't affect Feraligatr, Zap Cannon could probably still knock him off his feet,' he secretly added.

Feraligatr complied, and the two attacks cancelled each other out. Ash then noticed that Magnemite was still dripping wet from the Hydro Pump attack.

"Feraligatr, finish this with Thunder!" Ash said.

Feraligatr fried the attack at Magnemite. 

"Like that's going to do anyting," Alex said smirking. But he wouldn't be smirking much longer.

The attack had soon made impact with Magnemite. Magnemite screamed in pain, fainting soon afterwards.

"What?!" Alex exclaimed in shock. "H-how can that be?" he added.

"You failed to notice that Magnemite was still wet from Feraligatr's Hydro Pump. And as everyone knows, water greatly increases the power of electricity," Ash said.

"Grrrrrr! Haunter, let's go!" Alex said, releasing Haunter.

"Haunter haunt (I'll scare him silly)," Haunter said.

'Charizard and Lugia are too big for his room. Oh well, I have a choice between two other legendary Pokemon to use. I've wanted to see this kid's reaction to me having a legendary Pokemon anyway," Ash thought. "I have someone that I would like you to meet. Don't freak out now," Ash said before choosing Celebi's ball. "Come on out," he added, releasing Celebi.

"Bi bibi bi (Let's battle)," Celebi said.

Alex's mouth almost hit the floor upon seeing Celebi.

"Bi? Bibi bi bibi bi (What? Surprised that I chose him to be my trainer)?" Celebi asked slyly.

Alex partly recovered from his shock. "How were you able to catch a legendary Pokemon?" he demanded.

"Celebi appeared before me when I got to the shrine in Ilex Forest. She wanted to be one of my Pokemon so I caught her," Ash responded, Celebi nodding. "Now let's continue this battle. I have more important matters to take care of," he added.

'This kid is getting on my nerves,' Alex thought.

_"We can all say the same about you," _a deep male voice boomed.

/We can all say the same about what?/

_/I read his thoughts. He said that you get on his nerves/ _Lugia responded.

/You're right then/

"Who was that?" Alex asked upon hearing the deep male voice.

"It was someone who can hear what you're thinking. He's right too," Ash responded smirking.

"Grrrrr! Haunter, use Shadow Ball!" Alex said.

Haunter fired a ball of shadow energy towards Celebi.

"Celebi, get out of the way with Teleport!" Ash said.

Celebi disappeared into a time warp, dodging the Shadow Ball. Then she reappeared again.

"Quick Haunter, use Hypnosis!" Alex said.

"Oh no you don't. Use Teleport again Celebi!" Ash countered.

Celebi disappeared with only seconds to spare. Haunter and Alex were both shocked upon Celebi's quick reaction time. They didn't see to notice that Celebi had reappeared, ready to go on the offensive. Ash did however and was ready to oblige.

"Use Psybeam!" Ash said.

Celebi fired the Psybeam at the still shocked Haunter. Haunter couldn't react in time and was struck directly. Not about to let Haunter recover, Ash quickly called out the next attack.

"Follow up with Psywave!" Ash said.

Celebi did so, and Haunter looked just about done in at this point.

"Finish it with Psychic!" Ash said.

Celebi complied, and Haunter was down for the count. She then flew back to where Ash was. Ash gently scratched her head.

"Great work Celebi," Ash aid.

"Bi (Thanks)," Celebi said before Ash returned her.

'I have to win this last battle. I must,' Alex thought desperately, returning Haunter. "Meganium, it's up to you!" he added, releasing Meganium.

"Mega (Ready)" Meganium said.

"I believe that it's safe to assume that you have a Meganium as well. Let's see how yours matches up against mine," Alex said.

"I accept that challenge. Let's show this kid a thing or two Meganium!" Ash said, releasing his Meganium as well.

"Meaga meg mega meg (I've been waiting for this opportunity)," Ash's Meganium said.

There were a couple of differences between the two Meganium. One was that Ash's Meganium was female while Alex's Meganium was male. But the more obvious difference was that Ash's Meganium was three shades lighter in color than Alex's Meganium.

"Meganium, start off with Razor Leaf!" Alex said.

Alex's Meganium fired a barrage of leaves towards Ash's Meganium.

"Bat them down with Vine Whip!" Ash said.

Ash's Meganium used her vines to knock all the leaves down. Soon afterwards, she lashed them out at Alex's Meganium, knocking the opponent Meganium down as well.

"Nice follow through Meganium," Ash said.

"Mega (Thank you)," Ash's Meganium said.

Alex's Meganium had gotten back up.

"Now use Sweet Scent!" Alex said.

Alex's Meganium used Sweet Scent. However, the result was not what he nor Alex expected. Ash's Meganium was still ready to fight.

"How can my Meganium's Sweet Scent not affect yours?" Alex asked.

"Because your and my Meganium have the same aroma. I could smell the similarity almost immediately after I released her and I knew that she could as well. I don't see how you didn't bother to even think about that possibility," Ash responded.

"Meganium, use Vine Whip!" Alex said.

"Mega meg (You're getting spanked)," Alex's Meganium said, lashing out his vines at Ash's Meganium.

"Use your Vine Whip to jump!" Ash said.

Ash's Meganium used her vine whip to spring over the incoming Vine Whip.

"Now use Body Slam!" Ash said, noticing that his Meganium was right over Alex's Meganium.

Ash's Meganium came down fast towards Alex's Meganium. Alex's Meganium couldn't get out of the way in time and was soon smothered under Ash's Meganium. With both Meganium weighing just about the same, position would determine how effective the Body Slam would be. One of Ash's Meganium's legs was on Alex's Meganium's neck. The force that Ash's Meganium came down with was enough to put a lot of pressure on Alex's Meganium's neck. Soon, Alex's Meganium succumbed to the pressure on his neck.

"Great job Meganium," Ash said.

"Mega (Thanks)," Meganium said.

"I can't believe this," Alex said, returning his Meganium. He then looked back at Ash with a contemplative look. "Can it be that I need to treat and train my Pokemon compassionately? Is that what I'm missing?" he asked.

"It looks like you're finally starting to understand what the sages of the Sprout Tower and Lance were trying to make you understand," Ash said, returning his Meganium.

Alex didn't have anything to say as he left the Underground. Then Ash moved on. He soon confronted a Rocket grunt.

"You've caused enough trouble for us. Hopefully, the battle you had with that other kid has worn your Pokemon down enough for us to put you in your place," the grunt said before releasing a Vileplume.

"The only one who will be put in their place is you," Ash said before releasing Pidgeot.

Vileplume didn't stand much of a chance against Ash's Pidgeot, going down in only a couple of minutes. The grunt's Gastly didn't fare much better as Pidgeot used Mirror Move after Gastly vainly used Night Shade.

"You may have beaten me. But you won't be able to get any further without figuring out the order to flip the three switches like the one you see beside me. Here's a hint: The order that you need to flip them isn't the most obvious one," the grunt said.

'Well so much for the ol' 1-2-3,' Ash thought before moving on.

Soon, another grunt confronted him. After another battle that didn't take long, he had received another clue about the order of the switches.

"The odds have it," the grunt said.

Then Ash moved on to face the third grunt. After another quick battle, he received the final clue.

"Even is in the middle," the grunt said.

_/Well have you figured it out yet?/ _Charizard asked.

/Yes. The most obvious order is 1-2-3, even though the even is in the middle. So the only other option is 3-2-1/ He then flipped the switches in that order.

All the shutter doors were now open. He had actually ended up catching two thieves red handed and quickly defeated them. After battling female grunt, he opened the emegency door and entered the next room. He made his way through a maze-like room. He battled three grunts along the way.

"Is there someone there?" a familiar voice asked.

Ash recognized the voice. 'That must be the real director,' he thought. "Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm standing in the middle of these boxes," the director responded.

Ash made his way inside the little opening between the boxes and saw the director standing there.

"Thank you so much for freeing me," the director said.

"It's no problem," Ash said.

"But it's not over just yet. There's an area of the Radio Tower than can't be accessed without a Card Key. The Team Rocket executive that disguised himself as me is now in the room of the 5th floor that can only be accessed from stairwell F. He's trying to control Pokemon using the radio's frequency. Here, take this Card Key to get to and stop him before he manages to do it," the director said, handing over a spare Card Key.

"Okay," Ash said, taking the Card Key from the director. Then he had "A" teleport him back to the Radio Tower. Then he went back to the 3rd floor before heading to the closed shutter door. He put in the Card Key and was granted access to stairwell E after dealing with the Rocket grunt that was guarding the stairwell.

Upon coming into the next room, he saw two Rocket grunts in the room; one looking directly at stairwell F. He quietly released Celebi and had her use Hypnosis on them. Then he returned her before entering stairwell F without incident. Upon coming to the room at the top of the stairwell, a female executive confronted him.

"I was hoping to get another crack at you. This time, I'll be the successor," the female executive said.

"Don't see that happening," Ash said.

The battle only ended up taking five minutes. Just like at the secret base in Mahogany Town, the executive was defeated.

"You're a pretty powerful trainer. You could make a top executive for Team Rocket," the executive said.

"That won't happen in this or any lifetime," Ash said. It wasn't long before he noticed the executive who posed as the Radio Tower's director.

The executive turned around and saw him. "So we meet again," he said. "But this time, I will be victorious," he added.

"Been there, done that," Ash said.

The executive growled before releasing a Houndour. Ash pointed his Pokedex at Houndour.

"Houndour, the dark fire puppy Pokemon. Houndour usually travel and hunt in packs," the Pokedex said.

"So dark and fire huh? Well then, I choose Sandslash!" Ash said, releasing Sandslash.

"Slash (Ready)," Sandslash said.

'Houndour, use Faint Attack!" the executive said.

Houndour seemed to disappear. Before Sandslash could react, something struck her. She looked down to see the Houndour now in front of her. Quickly reacting, she used Slash across Houndour's back. Houndour cried in pain from the devastating attack.

"Follow up with Earthquake!" Ash said.

Sandslash jumped up and came down hard. The tremor knocked Houndour and the executive off their feet. Houndour was down for the count.

"Let's see how you handle my next Pokemon. Wheezing, I choose you!" the executive said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Wheezing (Let's do this)," Wheezing said.

"Wheezing, use Sludge!" the executive said.

Wheezing fired icky goop from its mouth.

"Jump Sandslash!" Ash said.

Sandslash jumped with only seconds to spare.

"Now Wheezing, take out this spiky Pokemon with Self Destruct!" the executive said.

"Oh no you don't. Use Slash quick!" Ash counterd.

Sandslash gave Wheezing a devastating slash. But Wheezing was still able to self-destruct, taking Sandslash as well as itself out.

"Sandslash return," Ash said, returning the fainted Sandslash. "Nice try," he added.

"Now get ready to face my strongest Pokemon. Houndoom, let's do this," the executive said, releasing Houndoom.

Ash noticed that Houndoom looked somewhat like Houndour. 'I bet that Houndoom is Houndour's evolved form,' he thought. "It's time to put an end to your plans here in Johto once and for all. Let's do this Lapras!" he said, releasing Lapras.

"Lapras la lap (Let's drive them out)," Lapras said.

"Use Faint Attack!" the executive said.

"Use Protect!" Ash countered.

The Faint Attack did next to no damage due to Lapras protecting herself.

"Blast it away with Hydro Pump!" Ash said.

Lapras used Hydro Pump, forcing Houndoom into a wall. Houndoom was able to get back up.

"Use Shadow Ball Houndoom!" the executive said.

Houndoom fired the ball of shadowy energy.

"Counter it with Ice Beam!" Ash said.

Lapras complied. The Ice Beam actually cut through the Shadow Ball. It kept going and soon froze Houndoom solid. The executive pulled out a Full Restore, and threw it on the frozen Houndoom. The bottle broke, releasing the contents of the Full Restore. Sure enough, the ice began to thaw. Soon, Houndoom looked completely regenerated.

"What was that?" Ash asked.

"That was a Full Restore, a very useful item," the executive responded smirking.

Well Lapras, that means that we'll have to faint this Pokemon," Ash said.

"Lapras lap (Ready to comply)," Lapras said.

"Use Blizzard!" Ash said.

Lapras fired the attack from her mouth.

"Get out of there with Faint Attack!" the executive said.

Houndoom faded out of the Blizzard's way.

"Quick! Follow up with Icy Wind!" Ash said.

Lapras fired a cold wind from her mouth, catching the reappearing Houndoom off guard. Houndoom was blown into a wall.

"Now finish it off with Hydro Pump!" Ash said.

Lapras fired a powerful stream of water towards Houdoom. Before Houndoom could react, it was bombarded. The Hydro Pump's pressure proved to be too much for Houndoom and it soon fainted.

"No! How can this be possible? The notorioius Team Rocket, foiled by a kid," the executive said.

"Anything is possible," Ash retorted.

"You won this battle kid. But the war is not over. The boss will hear about all the trouble you caused us," the executive said before throwing a smoke grenade on the floor.

When the smoke cleared, the two executives were gone. Several minutes later, the director came into the room.

"Thank you so much for freeing us. Team Rocket has left the city. Everyone is grateful for what you have done for us," the director said.

"No problem. Helping out is what we do best," Ash said, Lapras nodding. He then returned Lapras and headed outside the Radio Tower. He found quite the reception waiting for him.

All the people of Goldenrod City had gathered around the Radio Tower. They cheered, hailing Ash as a hero. Then the mayor stepped forward.

"On behalf of our fair city, I would like to thank you for freeing us from the dastardly Team Rocket," the mayor said.

"It was no problem sir," Ash said. Then he and the others heard bells ringing in the distance. "What's that?" he asked.

"That's the Crystal Bells. It means that Suicune must be around," a person in the crowd responded.

_/That must also mean that Suicune is ready to face you Ash/ _Lugia said.

/Then we're off to Ecruteak/ He first moved towards the Pokemon Center.

The crowd quickly made a path for him.

"If you ever need to get items for yourself and/or your Pokemon, you can get them here free of charge. It's the least we can do to thank you for ridding us of Team Rocket," the mayor said, the people of the Goldenrod City Mall eagerly nodding in agreement.

"Thanks," Ash said before continuing towards the Pokemon Center. He arrived several minutes later. Ten minutes later, he got his Pokemon back. Then he headed for Ecruteak. He arrived back in Ecruteak half an hour later and headed for the Tin Tower. Five minutes later, he had entered the tower.

Suicune was there, but he wasn't alone. Entei and Raikou were also there. Entei and Raikou ran out of the building before going in different directions. Suicune on the other hand didn't move. He smirked at Ash, which Ash returned. It was the moment of truth. Whether Suicune goes with Ash will totally depend on the outcome of this battle.

And that's the end of another chapter. As far as Ash's Meganium not being affected by Alex's Meganium's Sweet Scent, I feel that a Meganium shouldn't fall under the affects of Sweet Scent if the attack is from an opposing Meganium. Ash is about to battle the legendary Suicune. Preview for Chapter 11: Clash of the Dragons: The awaited battle between Ash and Suicune is finally here. Afterwards, Ash continues on towards Blackthorn City and his final gym battle. This is the final battle standing between him and the Elite Four so stay tuned to find out the outcome.

There will be two legendary battles in this chapter. Which other legendary Pokemon will Ash battle against? You'll have to wait and see.


	11. Clash of the Dragons

Recap: Ash headed for Goldenrod city, determined to put an end to Team Rocket's plans and save the inhabitants. He and his Pokemon fought many battles, including yet another rivalry battle. In the end, they achieved victory, forcing Team Rocket to retreat from the Johto region. Not too long afterwards, the ringing of the crystal bells filled the air. Ash headed to the Tin Tower. He found Suicune waiting for him. The awaited battle would now begin.  
( ) following Pokemon talk is the translation  
( ) alone is Red talking  
**Bold words **is Entei talking  
_Italic words_ is psychic speech  
/ is Ash mental conversation with Lugia and/or Charizard  
_/Italic words _is Lugia and/or Charizard mental conversation with Ash  
' is thoughts

Chapter 11: Clash of the Dragons

Suicune and Ash stared each other down, ready to do battle. Ever since the first meeting in the Burned Tower, both had been waiting for this moment.

"Cune cune (Choose your Pokemon)," Suicune said.

"All right. I'll make this Water-type vs. Water-type. I choose you Feraligatr!" Ash said, releasing Feraligatr.

"Gator (I'm ready)," Feraligatr said.

Then the rest of Ash's Pokemon came out of their balls. They wanted to watch the battle.

"You want to watch?" Ash asked his Pokemon.

_"Yes we do," _Charizard responded, as the others nodded.

Suicune started things off with Aurora Beam.

"On your stomach!" Ash said.

Feraligatr lied on his stomach, the Aurora Beam sailing harmlessly over him.

"Now use Thunderbolt!" Ash said.

"Gator (Right)!" Feraligatr said before firing the attack.

Suicune quickly dashed out of the attack's way. Then he came at Feraligatr with Quick Attack. Feraligatr got knocked off his feet. Suicune was soon in front of Ash and Feraligatr again. Feraligatr got back up and faced Suicune.

"It's going to take more than that," Ash said.

"Gat (Yeah)," Feraligatr said.

"Cune cune cune cune. Cune cune cune cune cune (Feraligatr responds to you very well. You're a very impressive trainer)," Suicune said.

"I do the best I can to be fair to my Pokemon," Ash said.

"Cune cune cune cune cune (That's what makes a really great trainer)," Suicune said. "Cune, cune cune (Now, let's continue)," he added before using Quick Attack again.

Feraligatr was knocked down again but quickly got back up. Then Suicune circled Feraligatr with Agility. Suicune was so quick that his Agility looked more like Double Team. Feraligatr looked on in confusion. He couldn't tell where Suicune was. He barely evaded a Hydro Pump attack just several seconds later.

"Don't panic Feraligatr. Just keep your focus. Try to hit Suicune with your Hydro Pump," Ash said.

Feraligatr nodded and closed his eyes. Although Suicune was quick, his feet still made noise. Feraligatr was able to pick up on the sound of Suicune's feet. Still circling, Suicune came at Feraligatr with another Quick Attack. Feraligatr's eyes snapped open and he quickly fired the Hydro Pump. Suicune was struck directly and was sent flying into a wall. Suicune slowly got back up and came with another Quick Attack.

"Brace yourself Feraligatr!" Ash said.

Feraligatr prepared for the Quick Attack. But Suicune suddenly stopped and fired another Hydro Pump followed up with Aurora Beam. Feraligatr was pushed backwards a little before the Aurora Beam knocked him off his feet. He was able to get back up though.

"You holding up okay Feraligatr?" Ash asked.

"Gator (Yeah)," Feraligatr responded nodding.

Then Suicune used Agility again.

'We've got to slow Suicune down,' Ash thought. "Feraligatr, use Scary Face," he added.

"Gator (Okay)," Feraligatr sadi before staring straight ahead.

Suicune made the mistake to looking at Feraligatr and was soon paralyzed with fear upon seeing the look on Feraligatr's face.

"Now Feraligatr, used Thunder!" Ash said.

Feraligatr complied. The attack soon made impact with the still terrified Suicune. Suicune cried in pain as the electricity tore through his body. He fell to the ground. He was able to stagger back up, but the numerous scorch marks on his body clearly showed thathe wouldn't be able to fight much longer. Suicune then gave off a Bubblebeam attack.

"Dodge right," Ash said.

Feraligatr did so.

"Now Feraligatr, finish the battle with Slash!" Ash said.

Feraligatr came up and gave Suicune a powerful slash across its back. Suicune cried in pain from the devastating hit. The slash did it as Suicune fell to the ground again. This time, he didn't get back up.

_"You win Ash," _Charizard said.

"Yeah. Could you and Celebi come over here?" Ash said.

Charizard and Celebi were soon at Ash's side.

"Could you use Recover and Heal Bell?" Ash asked.

"Bi (Sure)," Celebi responded.

Charizard used Recover on Suicune. Celebi used Heal Bell on Feraligatr. Suicune stood back up and looked at Ash.

"Cune cune cune cune cune. Cune cune cune cune cune (You are indeed the trainer that I've been searching for. I would be honored to be one of your Pokemon)," Suicune said.

"Then so be it," Ash said. He took out a Fast Ball. "Fast Ball go!" he said, throwing the ball.

Suicune was caught with ease.

_"Well Suicune is with us now. Who knows? Maybe Entei and Raikou will want to be with you as well," _Charizard said.

"Only time will tell," Ash said before returning all his Pokemon. Then he exited the Tin Tower. Then he headed towards Mahogany Town. Upon arriving, he headed straight for the Ice Path. He entered, quickly noticing how dark it was. "It's pretty dark in here. It looks like I need Typhlosion," he said before releasing Typhlosion. "Can you light up the area?" he asked.

"Typh (Of course)," Typhlosion responded. She lit up the fire around her neck.

But the sudden light startled a nearby Delibird. It threw a Present attack at the human/Pokemon pair. The present landed a foot away from the pair, exploding seconds later. Ash and Typhlosion went flying for about ten yards.

"Ow, what was that?" Ash aksed. He saw a hand in front of him. He looked up further and saw Typhlosion in front of him. He took the offered hand and was pulled into a standing position. "Thanks Typhlosion," he said.

"Typhlosion (No problem)," Typhlosion said. Then she suddenly turned around. ('There's a Pokemon following us. I bet that it's responsible for what just happened') she thought.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

In response, Typhlosion fired a Flamethower into the air. Ash heard a fearful squawk. Typhlosion constantly looked around. Suddenly, an Ice Beam came right at the pair. Typhlosion melted the Ice Beam with Flamethrower. In the light the Flamethrower provided, Ash made out a pink bird flying around above them. He took out his Pokedex.

"Delibird, the ice bird Pokemon. Delibird are known mostly for their mischievous personalities," the Pokedex said.

Then Delibird threw another Present. Ash and Typhlosion were confused to say the least. But Lugia knew the attack all too well.

_/Be on your guard Ash. A Delibird's present can be both helpful and harmful/ _Lugia said.

This Present turned out to be helpful. It had healed Ash and Typhlosion of the minor injuries they suffered in the blast.

"Well this one helped us out. So we should probably watch out for the next one," Ash said.

On cue, Delibird gave off another Present attack.

"Destroy it with Ember!" Ash said.

Typhlosion complied. The Present blew up while still in the air.

"We need to ground that Delibird. Use Ember again!" Ash said.

Typhlosion complied. Delibird barely got out of the way. Typhlosion quickly followed up with Flamethrower. Delibird couldn't get out of the way this time and fell to the ground.

"Now finish the job with Flame Wheel," Ash said.

Typhlosion did so, fainting Delibird. Ash threw an empty Poke Ball at the fainted Pokemon. Delibird was caught with ease. Ash picked up the now occupied ball and attached it to his belt.

"Great job in following up Ember with Flamethrower to ground Delibird," Ash said.

"Typh (Thanks)," Typhlosion said before she and Ash continued down the Ice Path.

An hour later, they heard a voice singing. They followed the voice and saw a human-like Pokemon ten minutes later. They then noticed a group of Pokemon gathered around the human-like Pokemon. Ash took out his Pokedex.

"Jynx, the ice diva Pokemon. Jynx sing and dance for self and public entertainment," the Pokedex said.

Jynx turned and saw Ash and Typhlosion. She got really nervous upon seeing Typhlosion. Ash could tell that this Jynx wasn't looking for a fight.

"Don't worry. We don't want to fight," Ash said.

Jynx then went into her dance routine. The Pokemon gathered around her cheered her on. Ash got info on all the Pokemon around. There were Zubat, Seel Dewgong, Swinub, Shellder and a few Cloyster. Half an hour later, Jynx ended her routine, receiving a large volume of applause.

"You're a really good dancer Jynx," Ash said.

"Typh (Yeah)," Typhlosion agreed.

"Jynx (Thanks)," Jynx said.

Ash and Typhlosion headed off again. They wanted to reach Blackthorn City as soon as possible. Ash suddenly felt something clamp onto his pants. He looked back and saw one of the Cloyster. Cloyster then unclamped itself.

"You want to come along?" Ash asked.

"Cloyster (Yes I do)," Cloyster responded.

"Okay then. Poke Ball go!" Ash said.

Cloyster was caught without a struggle. Then Ash and Typhlosion moved on. They were about halfway through the path when an Aurora Beam landed inches in front of them. Ash and Typhlosion looked ahead to see a Swinub and a Dewgong in front of them. They had actually followed Ash and Typhlosion. They wanted to go with Ash, but not before battling him first.

"If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get. You take Swinub Typhlosion," Ash said. "As far as Dewgong, you're up Feraligatr!" he added, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Gator (Ready)," Feraligatr said.

Swinub and Dewgong fired their Ice Beam attacks at Feraligatr and Typhlosion.

"On the ground Feraligatr. Counter the other one with Flamethrower Typhlosion.

Typhlosion countered Swinub's Ice Beam while Feraligatr quickly ducked Dewgong's Ice Beam. Then Dewgong fired at Water Gun at Typhlosion.

"Try to evaporate that with Fire Blast!" Ash said.

"Typh (Right)," Typhlosion said. She unleashed a large fiery star.

The Fire Blast headed straight into the Water Gun. The two attacks soon met. At first, it looked like the Water Gun would win out. Then the Fire Blast slowly but surely started overtaking the Water Gun. Dewgong quickly stopped the Water Gun. Because it was on ice, it was able to slide out of the Fire Blast's path.

"Follow up with Thunderbolt Feraligatr!" Ash said while Dewgong avoided the Fire Blast.

Feraligatr fired the Thunderbolt. Dewgong had no chance of avoiding this attack and suffered a direct hit. It cried in pain as the electricity tore through its body and soon fainted.

"Now Typhlosion, use Flame Wheel on Swinub!" Ash said.

Typhlosion complied. Swinub couldn't get out of the way in time and had soon fainted as well. Then Ash caught both fainted Pokemon. He returned Feraligatr before he and Typhlosion continued on. About an hour later, they had come out of the Ice Path.

"Well we're finally out of there," Ash said before returning Typhlosion. Then he headed for the Pokemon Center. He got all his Pokemon back within half an hour. Then he headed to the gym. He didn't immediately see Clair.

"I take it you're here to challenge Clair," a male voice said.

Ash looked to his right and saw a man standing there. "Yes I am," he said.

"Well she's on another floor. As you probably saw, there are huge boulders blocking the passageways. You'll have to figure out how to get to her. I hope that at least one of your Pokemon knows Strength because that will help you a lot here," the man said.

"Thanks for the advice," Ash said. 'Charizard doesn't need to learn Strength because she already has plenty of it. But something tells me that having Feraligatr and Typhlosion learn it will be helpful later on,' he secretly added. He then walked towards one of the blocked passageways. "I need your help Charizard!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.

_"What can I do to help?" _Charizard asked.

"I'll need you to move boulders like these out of the way. It's the only way that we'll reach Clair the Gym Leader," Ash responded.

_"Sure thing," _Charizard said. She then moved one of the boulders with no trouble, allowing her and Ash to access a stairway.

Ash returned Charizard before heading down the stairway. Upon reaching the bottom, he noticed another boulder blocking the way, but he also noticed a hole in the floor about several yards away. 'I guess the boulder needs to go through the hole. Wonder what happens though,' Ash thought before releasing Charizard again. "I need you to push that boulder through the hole in the floor.

Charizard did so, hearing a loud thump soon afterwards. _"I wonder what that did," _she said.

"So do I," Ash said before returning her. He then headed to the stairway and went down. He soon found another stairway. He went down that stairway and found another boulder blocking the way and another hole in the floor about several yards from the boulder.

Charizard soon moved the boulder into the hole and she and Ash continued down the pathway. They soon came to another stairway and Ash returned Charizard. After descending the flight of stairs, Ash noticed that one of the boulders Charizard pushed through a hole had filled a crevice that would've otherwise been impassible without the aid of a flying-type Pokemon.

'So those two boulders were for bridging gaps,' Ash thought before crossing over the bridged gap. He found another stairway. Upon getting to the end of this one, he saw the second boulder bridging another gap. He looked up further and saw a light-skinned woman with long blue hair standing next to an elderly male. 'The woman must be Clair.' He crossed the closed gap and as soon in front of Clair.

"So you're here to challenge me," Clair said.

"Yes. My name's Ash," Ash said.

"Well Ash, we will use three Pokemon each for this match," Clair said.

"Fine with me," Ash said.

"For my first Pokemon, I choose Kingdra!" Clair said, releasing the said Pokemon into a nearby pool.

"Doo (Ready)," Kingdra said.

"I choose you Red!" Ash said, releasing the said Pokemon into the water.

"Incredible," Clair said in awe. "Where did you find a red Gyrados?" she asked.

"I found him at the Lake of Rage. I wondered why he was red myself and found out from Lance that Red was forced to evolve upon hearing a strange frequency that Team Rocket generated. Luckily, Lance and I were able to permanently shut the frequency off," Ash responded.

Clair was astounded to hear that Ash met Lance. "I used to train under Lance," she said.

"Really?" Ash asked.

"Yep. That's why I train dragon Pokemon like he does," Clair responded. "Should we start then?" she then asked.

"All right," Ash responded.

"Kingdra start off with Swift!" Clair said.

Kingdra fired dozens of little stars towards Red.

"Dive underwater to avoid it! Then retaliate with Dragon Rage!" Ash said.

Red dove underwater, completely avoiding the attack. He surfaced seconds later and fired at Dragon Rage at Kingdra.

"Avoid that with Agility!" Clair said.

Kingdra sped around the attack.

"Now use Hyper Beam!" Clair said.

"You too Red!" Ash said.

Kingdra and Red charged up for several moments before firing Hyper Beam at the same time. Because both attacks went head on towards each other, size mattered. Red's Hyper Beam won out because it was wider than Kingdra's Hyper Beam. Kingdra cried out in pain when the opponent Hyper Beam struck it.

"You okay Kingdra?" Clair asked.

"Doo (Yeah)," Kingdra responded.

"Now use Hydro Pump!" Clair said.

"Doo (Take this)," Kingdra said, firing the said attack.

"Counter with your Hydro Pump!" Ash said.

Red did so. Once again, size won out. Kingdra was knocked underwater. It soon surfaced and fired another Swift attack on Clair's command. This time, the Swift did connect, but it did minimal damage to Red.

"Use Dragon Rage again!" Ash said.

Red complied.

"Agility Kingdra!" Clair said.

Kingdra easily avoided the attack. It was also zooming towards Red.

"Red, you're going to have to concentrate. Try to hit Kingdra with Dragon Rage!" Ash said.

Red closed his eyes in concentration. He focused on the sound of the water as Kingdra came closer. Soon, Red's eyes snapped open before he turned around about 30 degrees and fired a Dragon Rage with only seconds to spare. Kingdra cried in pain from the direct hit. Red then used his tail to swat Kingdra to the other side of the pool. Kingdra looked just about done in at this point.

"One more attack should do it. Use Hyper Beam again!" Ash said.

Red charged up and fired the Hyper Beam.

"Kingdra, dodge it with Agility!" Clair said desperately.

But Kingdra was too weakened to move and suffered a direct hit. When the smoke cleared, Kingdra was floating on the surface of the water. It was completely unconscious.

"Kingdra is no longer able to battle. Red is the winner," the elderly man said.

"Nice going Red," Ash said.

(Thanks) Red said.

"Return Kingdra," Clair said, returning her fallen Pokemon. "That was very impressive Ash," she added.

"Thanks," Ash said.

"Now I choose Dragonair!" Clair said, releasing the said Pokemon.

A blue snake-like Pokemon took shape and gently splashed into the pool. Ash got information on the Pokemon from his Pokedex. He looked back to Red and saw that Red was panting a little.

"Can you still battle?" Ash asked.

Red nodded.

"Okay then. Use Bite," Ash said.

Red swam towards Dragonair. It was about a foot away when...

"Use Dragonbreath Dragonair!" Clair said.

Dragonair fired the attack. The result was a direct hit. Not only that, but Red also found himself unable to move.

'Oh no! He's paralyzed,' Ash thought worriedly.

"Now it's right where you want ti Dragonair. Use Dragon Rage!" Clair said.

Dragonair dove underwater. The water soon began churning. Red was soon struck by the Dragon Rage attack. The combo attack did the job as Red soon fainted. Ash returned the fainted Pokemon.

"You did great Red," Ash said. "Now I choose Lapras!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Lap (Ready)," Lapras said.

"Hyper Beam Dragonair!" Clair said.

Dragonair fired a wide Hyper Beam from the small horn on its head.

"Dive underwater quick!" Ash said.

Lapras did so, completely avoiding the attack. She soon resurfaced.

"Now use Ice Beam!" Ash said.

"Lapras (Take this)," Lapras said, firing the said attack.

"Counter with Dragonbreath!" Clair said.

The two attacks son met in the center. For a little while, it looked like neither Pokemon would get any leeway.

"Keep it up Dragonair!" Clair said.

"You can do it Lapras!" Ash said.

Lapras and Dragonair gave it their all. Soon, the Ice Beam started overtaking the Dragonbreath.

"Quick Dragonair, dive underwater!" Clair said.

Dragonair stopped its attack and dove underwater with only seconds to spare. It started to resurface seconds later.

"Quick Lapras! Use Icy Wind while it's vulnerable!" Ash said.

Lapras fired a wind of ice and snow from her mouth. The attack scored a direct hit on Dragonair. Dragonair cried out in pain.

"Follow up with Ice Beam!" Ash said.

Lapras did so, freezing Dragonair solid. In an attempt to break the ice, Dragonair used Hyper Beam. They Hyper Beam broke through the ice, but it took the last bits of strength from Dragonair. It fainted on the surface of the water.

"Dragonair is unable to battle. Lapras wins," the eldery man said.

"Lapras (Yeah)!" Lapras said happily.

"Nice going," Ash said as Clair returned her fallen Pokemon.

"You're a pretty good trainer," Clair said. "Now get ready to face my strongest Pokemon. It's your turn Dragonite!" she added, releasing the said Pokemon.

A large Dragonite immerged in the air. It then dove into the water and surfaced about ten feet away from Lapras.

"Get ready Lapras. This is going to be a tough battle," Ash said.

Lapras nodded before facing Dragonite again.

"Use Dragonbreath Dragonite!" Clair said.

"Counter it with Ice Beam!" Ash said.

Like with Dragonair, the two attacks met in the center. This time however, it didn't take as long for one attack to win out. This time, the Dragonbreath attack quickly overtook the Ice Beam. Lapras couldn't react fast enough and soon suffered a direct hit. Lapras was knocked underwater but was able to resurface.

'Thank goodness she's not paralyzed,' Ash thought with relief. "Use Icy Wind Lapras!" he said.

Lapras complied.

"Fly out of the water!" Clair countered.

Dragonite quickly flew out of the water, completely avoiding the attack. Dragonite flew out of the water so quickly that Ash almost didn't see it.

"Whoa, that's fast!" Ash said.

"Dragonite are well known for their speed," Clair said.

'This is going to be more challenging than I thought,' Ash said. "Use Hydro Pump!" he said.

Lapras fired a powerful stream of water from her mouth.

"Use Agility. Then retaliate with Thunder!" Clair said.

Dragonite easily avoided the Hydro Pump. It then quickly zoomed towards Lapras. Lapras tried to hone in on Dragonite's location. But Dragonite was too fast. Seconds later, it delivered a powerful Thunder attack. Lapras cried out in pain as the electricity tore through her body. It proved to be too much as she soon fainted.

"Lapras can no longer battle. Dragonite is the winner!" the elderly man said.

"Good try Lapras," Ash said, returning his fallen Pokemon. "Well it's time to fight fire with fire. I choose you Charizard!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.

Charizard appeared in the air. _"Let's do this," _she said.

Clair gasped in awe upon seeing Charizard. The elderly man and Dragonite did too.

"Incredible," Clair said, still in awe.

"I've never seen a Charizard like this one before," the elderly man said, still in awe as well.

"Where did you get her?" Clair asked.

Ash then told the story of how he and Charizard met. Then Charizard explained how she came to be. Clair, Dragonite and the elderly man were amazed to learn that Charizard had not only the DNA of a Dragonite in her, but also psychic powers due to the legendary Mew.

"So this will be a clash of the dragons," Clair said.

"It sure will," Ash said.

"Well Dragonite, let's start things off with Dragonbreath!" Clair said.

Dragonite fired the attack.

"Counter with your own Dragonbreath!" Ash said.

Charizard countered the attack. Both attacks met in the center but Charizard's attack slowly won out a few minutes later.

"Get out of the way with Agility!" Clair said.

Dragonite stopped its attack and quickly avoided the opponent Dragonbreath.

('This is going to be tough') Charizard thought.

"Use Psybeam Charizard!" Ash said.

Charizard complied. Dragonite simply used Agility to easily avoid the attack.

_"We're going to have to do something about its speed," _Charizard said.

"I know and it won't be easy. Dragonite moves so fast that I can't keep track of it," Ash said.

"Use Hyper Beam Dragonite!" Clair said.

Dragonite fired the Hyper Beam. Since it was still in Agility, there was no telling where it actually came from.

"Use Barrier!" Ash said.

Charizard quickly put a barrier around herself. The attack soon came in contact with the barrier, easily holding it off. Dragonite then hovered about several yards away from Charizard.

_/Ash, use the mental link to telepathically give commands to Charizard. That should help keep Dragonite off guard/ _Lugia said.

/That's a great idea. You ready Charizard?/

_/You bet/ _Charizard said."Use Hyper Beam again!" Clair said.

Dragonite fired another Hyper Beam at Charizard.

/Dodge up/

Charizard quickly flew above the attack.

/Now use Flamethrower/

Charizard fired off the Flamethrower. Dragonite was caught off guard because he didn't hear Ash call for the attack. But it was able to dodge the attack, even though it was just barely.

_/Lugia's onto something Ash/ _Charizard said.

/Yes he is/

"Use Agility to throw them off guard Dragonite! While in Agility, use Dragon Rage!" Clair said.

Dragonite used Agility again. It came at Charizard faster than she or Ash could follow. Ash suddenly had a look of realization in his eyes.

/Use Psychic all around you to freeze Dragonite in its tracks/

_/Right/ _Charizard said before unleashing Psychic around her surrounding area.

Dragonite soon found itself frozen in place.

"Oh no! Dragonite!" Clair said worriedly.

"Now use Dragonbreath!" Ash said.

Charizard complied. Dragonite, still trapped in Charizard's Psychic, suffered a direct hit. Charizard released the Psychic. Dragonite fell out of the sky, landing hard into the pool below. But it was able to take to the air again and soon hovered several yards away from Charizard.

_/You're onto something yourself Ash. Now we know how to cancel Dragonite's agility/ _Charizard said.

/Yes we do/

"Knock Charizard out of the sky with Thunder!" Clair said.

Dragonite quickly gave off the attack. Charizard couldn't react fast enough and suffered a direct hit. She was knocked out of the sky and fell into the water. But she soon surfaced and flew out of the water.

_"It's going to take more than that," _Charizard said.

"Dragonite, use Quick Attack!" Clair said.

Dragonite zoomed towards Charizard.

/Use Confusion/

Charizard complied. Dragonite was stopped in its tracks again. It struggled to escape, but Charizard's Confusion attack was extremely strong, making escape nearly impossible.

"Now use Dragon Rage!" Ash said.

Charizard fired the Dragon Rage. She released the Confusion just seconds before the Dragon Rage made impact. Dragonite cried out in pain and fell for the pool again. It was able to recover in the air, but just barely.

"It's really starting to get tired Charizard!" Ash said.

_"And I'm just warming up," _Charizard said.

"Try Agility with Thunder!" Clair said.

Dragonite was able to give off the Thunder attack towards Charizard. It was basically stationary because it didn't have the energy to use Agility again.

"Contain it with Psychic!" Ash said.

Charizard concentrated and was able to manipulate the Thunder attack into a large ball of energy.

"Now send it right back!" Ash said.

_"Gotcha," _Charizard said before flinging the psychically induced Thunder attack towards Dragonite.

Dragonite couldn't maneuver out of the way this time and was struck directly. It cried in pain as the electricity tore through its body. It fell and landed in the pool. This time, there would be no recovery. Dragonite was unconscious on the surface of the water.

"Dragonite is unable to battle. Charizard is with winner. Ash is the winner of this gym battle," the elderly man said.

"Yeah!" Ash said happily.

Charizard landed next to him. Clair returned her fallen Pokemon. She stood a few feet in front of Ash.

"That was a great battle Ash," Clair said.

"Thanks Clair," Ash said.

"There's something telling me that there was more than met the eye about Charizard's sudden attacking," Clair said.

"That's because there was. I have the ability to mentally communicate with Charizard," Ash said.

"Wow, did you always have that ability?" Clair asked.

"Actually no. She and Lugia gave me the ability," Ash responded.

"Whoa, you have a Lugia?" the elderly man asked in awe.

"Yes," Ash responded before telling Clair and the man how he met Lugia and some things he did on the island he called home for a little while.

"You're a pretty tough kid," Clair said. She then held out a badge in front of Ash. "Normally, I don't give this to trainers unless they're able to retrieve a Dragon Fang from the Dragon Shrine in the Dragon's Den on the other side of the lake even though they defeated me," she added.

"Dragon's Den?" Ash asked.

"Yes. But it's not an easy task because there are dangerous waterfalls and whirlpools surrounding the shrine. Many trainers have failed the task and had to challenge me all over again because I only give those who defeat me in battle permission to enter the Dragon's Den," Clair responded. "But I've heard about what happened in Goldenrod City. Freeing the city from an organization like Team Rocket took a lot of courage, much more than retrieving a Dragon Fang ever would. This Rising Badge is yours," she added.

"Thanks," Ash said.

Clair then held out a TM. "This TM is also yours. It teaches Dragonbreath," she said.

Ash took the TM from Clair.

"You now qualify to test your battling skills against the Elite Five of this region. You already met Lance. Expect some very tough battles because the Elite are much tougher than all of us Gym Leaders combined. Their Pokemon are very strong and powerful. But you and your Pokemon are no pushovers either. I know that you can give them a run for their money," Clair said.

"Thanks," Ash said.

"Good luck," the elderly man said.

"Thanks," Ash said before returning Charizard. He then left the gym and headed for the Pokemon Center. He decided to spend the day there. Nurse Joy showed him to an available room before heading back to the front. Ash then let all of his Pokemon except Lugia and Charizard out.

Soon, everyone got settled into the room. Ash sat on the bed. He smiled upon seeing his two Eevee jump on the bed as well. The Eevee soon got situated before taking a little nap. Deciding to follow their example, everyone got settled and was soon napping as well.

The following day, Ash started down Route 45. He suddenly heard something rustle in the tall grass. He looked to where he heard the sound but saw nothing. Then he heard another rustle. Again he looked but saw nothing. On the third time, something brown barely caught his eye.

"I need some assistance Lugia," Ash said, releasing Lugia.

_"What is it?" _Lugia asked.

"There's something here. I barely caught the sight of something dark brown," Ash responded.

_"Do you think that it could be Entei?" _Lugia asked.

"It could very well be," Ash responded. Then he and Lugia heard another rustle.

Lugia concentrated his powers to scan the area. _"It is Entei," _he said.

"The why hasn't it run off in a different direction yet?" Ash asked.

As a response to the question, Entei stpped out to where Ash and Lugia could see him. By the look on Entei's face, Ash and Lugia knew that he wouldn't be running off this time.

_"He wants to battle you," _Lugia said.

"Then a battle is what he'll get. Let's do this Suicune!" Ash said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Cune (Ready)," Suicune said. He faced Entei, ready to do battle.

Entei started off with Ember.

"Counter that with Bubblebeam!" Ash said.

Suicune complied, canceling the Ember attack out.

"Now follow up with Aurora Beam!" Ash said.

Suicune fired an Aurora Beam. Entei quickly avoided it before retaliating with Flamethrower.

"Use Agility to get out of the way," Ash said.

Suicune easily maneuvered away from the flames. Entei charged for Suicune, bearing his fangs for a Crunch attack.

"Jump, then use Water Gun!" Ash said.

Suicune jumped over the charging Entei. Before Entei could fully recover from the botched attack, he took a direct hit right to the face. The water sent him flying a few yards backward. Entei recovered from the hit though and charged with Agility. He then circled Suicune.

"It looks like he's doing one of your numbers Suicune," Ash said.

"Cune, cune cune cune (Yeah, and I don't like it)," Suicune said. But he was able to easily keep track of the circling Entei. He soon jumped to avoid an oncoming Flamethrower. "Cune cune cune (You'll have to do better than that)," he added.

"Suicune, turn in place while using Aurora Beam! Maybe that will stop Entei," Ash said.

"Cune (I gotcha)," Suicune said before turning around in place. He then fired an Aurora Beam as he turned in place.

A few minutes later, Suicune scored a direct hit. Entei was partially frozen. Entei struggled and was able to break free. But Entei was starting to show a decent amount of fatigue. Suicune on the other hand didn't show any signs of being tired at all.

"He's starting to tire. Let's keep the pressure on him with Hydro Pump!" Ash said.

Suicune complied. Entei took a direct hit again and was sent flying into a nearby rock wall. The force of impact was large, but Entei was able to get back up. He looked more tired now. Entei was able to give off another Flamethrower, but Suicune retaliated with Water Gun. The Water Gun doused the Flamethrower. Not only that, but it also slammed into the tired Entei, knocking him to the ground. Entei tried to get back up, but he was too tired and soon fainted.

"Great job Suicune," Ash said.

"Cune (Thanks)," Suicune said, walking back to Ash's side.

Ash gently scratched Suicune's head before facing the fainted Entei. "Can you help him out Lugia?" he asked.

_"Sure," _Lugia responded before using Recover on the fainted Entei.

Soon, Entei's eyes snapped open. He stood up and faced Ash, Lugia and Suicune. He bowed his head in submission to Ash. **You are indeed a special trainer. I can see why Suicune and Lugia chose to be with you.**

"Thanks," Ash said.

_"Does that mean that you will become one of Ash's Pokemon as well?" _Lugia asked.

**Yes it does.**

"Then so be it," Ash said before throwing another Fast Ball at Entei.

Entei let the ball capture him without incident. Then Ash returned Suicune. He had won his 8th badge yesterday and now has Entei on his Pokemon team. Mow he had his sights on the Johto League. All of his Pokemon were ready, willing and able to give it their all for him.

That's a wrap on this chapter. I will be in Las Vegas from tomorrow to next Wednesday. I will work on completing the next chapter of this fic as well as chapters of my other fics while I'm there. Hopefully, I'll have something ready to post when I return. Moving along, preview for Chapter 12: The Elite Battle: The moment of truth is finally at hand. All of the training Ash did with his Pokemon has come down to a final showdown in Johto.

I'll probably have to split Ash's battle with the Elite and the aftermath into two chapters because the uncompleted Chapter 12 is already nearly 10 typed pages. We'll see how it goes.


End file.
